March 28,2018- To Chepstow S Wales via Salisbury

Greetings All,

We are on the road by 10:00 Am and have a relatively short drive from Portsmouth to Salisbury to explore a National Trust site and the Cathedral. There has been a lot about Salisbury in the news lately with the poisoning of a former Russian double agent but this event did not even enter our minds when we planned our visit. We understand that tourism has suffered greatly due to this but we do no see any evidence while we are there.

 Our first stop is Mompesson House now managed by The National Trust. Built in 1701 by Charles Mompesson , a Queen Anne townhouse in the Cathedral close. Charles married Elizabeth Longueville in 1703 and they lived here till his death in 1714. Elizabeths brother Charles moved in and added the plasterwork, staircase and brick wing. Pictured on the left is just a small piece of plasterwork that is evident all around the house. The stair case is very ornate . Five other families lived in the house from 1753 to 1952 when the last owner Denis Martineau bought the house on the condition he bequeath it to the National trust. In 1977 Denis died but as only the house was bequeathed all his contents were dispersed or disposed of. The National trust then spent two years redecorating and furnishing the house. In 1977 it was opened to the public.

From here we decide to check out the city centre. There is a market on in the
main square. Plants for spring planting, baked goods,fresh produce, clothing and crafts are all available if you are so inclined. I stop at a little wood shop and pick up a gift for Christmas. Never to early to start especially when you find the perfect gift for someone.


Our next and final stop is the Salisbury Cathedral more formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed  Virgin Mary and is a Anglican Cathedral. The main body was completed in 38 years from 1220 to 1258.

Since 1549 the church has the tallest spire in he UK at 404 ft. You can do a tour of the spire but we pass on this as a lot of stair climbing would be involved.  The cathedral is home to the worlds oldest working mechanical clock a Medieval Clock 1386.  The Chapter House that dates from 1266 and houses The Salisbury Magna Carta one of the best preserved of the 4 originals dating form June 1215. Due to it's delicate nature pictures are not allowed. The penmanship is beautiful , written in Latin and stressed everyone even the king, had to treat people fairly and no-one was above the law. The charter was forced upon King John by the barons as they were unhappy how he was ruling England.  John rejected the charter later in the year but dies. His son Henry III re-issued it and ensured its survival and support from succeeding monarchs. The clauses on social justice are as pertinent today as they were in 1215. It inspired the UN's Declaration of Human Rights, American Bill of Rights and constitutions  of many other democratic countries.

It is in the Chapter House I meet the most amusing character. As I enter I stop and gaze up to the ceiling taking in the spectacular workmanship and height . The gentleman who is a guide approaches me and comments on how the room always takes his breath away. We start chatting and he asks me where I am from. I tell him originally Canada but that come May I will be in the UK 9 years. He asks where so I tell him Ontario Ajax a town just outside Toronto. Turns out he just returned from Toronto the day before. Small world, he has family in Cambridge . He is very chatty and in 15 minutes I learn about his cousin who is a pot head, how he feels unsafe now due to the number of foreigners in Toronto and surrounding areas . He also says for a church goer he is not a very good person when it comes to these people. Well I am unsure how to respond other then to say most people are really foreigners. I should mention he is probably in his early 70's so may have a lot to due with with attitude. He also makes a comment about Indian reserves in Ontario and how when he was in his 20's visited one and was not at all welcome. Well at this point I tell him I am half North American Indian and I can only imagine what his reception would be driving onto a reserve uninvited back in what would be the late 40's early 50's.The look on his face was priceless ,but I could not resist . The picture on the right is of the ceiling in the Nave looking toward the Quire. We spend a good 2 hours exploring the church and stop for some  light refreshment in the restaurant before heading off to Chepstow and rest point for the night.

The drive is a easy one for Fred as were are about 1 ½ hours away and the roads are light traffic wise. The picture on the left is of the Severn River as we drive over the Bridge that takes you into South Wales. The Marriott we stay in is a golf course and our room is well removed form the main building which in its time was a manor house. We are a bit disappointed  as we were hoping to use the pool and be in the main building but our room is clean though a bit dated and overlooks the lake. The weather has now turned wet and cold so we do not take advantage of the facilities.

 The last picture is of swans on the lake . They come right up to the window when I open the curtains so I imagine previous residents have fed them.

This ends our blog for this mini vacation. We are heading next to Cheltenham to dog sit and then spend Easter with my brother and sister in-laws.

Cheers for now,
Sandy & Fred

March 27,2018- Submarines, Battle Ships and Museums

Ahoy Matey

Dive Dive Dive !! As you can guess our first stop of the day is the
The HMS Alliance a Royal Navy A class or Acheron class submarine. We have a nice 10 minute boat ride across the harbour to Gosport where the Sub museum is. The Alliance pictured on the right is 281 Ft 4.75 in long, it has a range of 10500 nautical miles at 11 knots (20km/h) surfaced and 90 nautical miles at 8 knots (13km/h) submerged.
The A class were primarily designed for use in the Far East. She was laid down 13 March 1945, launched  28 July 1945 and commissioned  May 14,1947.  In October 9 1957 to November 8 the sub took part in lengthly experiments to test the limits of the snort mast a new fitting and remained submerged for 30 days. With a complement of 5 officers and 56 ratings all men I imagine it got quite stinky . Water was scare for bathing as drinking water and food preparation would be more important.  Space was very cramped and narrow so it took a special type of sailor to be a submariner. The picture on the left is the conning tower. Her test depth was 500 ft though the builders were sure she could dive deeper.
The Alliance is the only surviving sub of this class, a lucky sub given it was grounded of the Isle of Wright, then a fatal battery explosion on or about Sept 30,1971 occurred on board. Since 1981 the sub has been a museum ship and memorial to those British Submariners who died in service. The sub underwent major repairs in May 2011 to deal with corrosive issues for the water that it is dry docked above and pigeon poop. Restoration was completed March 2014 and opened a museum in April. Our guides in the sub had also served on her during the time she was in service so they had some great insights to share on life aboard a sub. There is also two other subs at the museum. the Holland 1 was a torpedo submarine ordered in 1901 and was built under secrecy . She was launch Oct 2,1901 and dived for the first time March 20 1902 and went toes tries in April. She was decommissioned  Nov 5,1913 and was lost while being towed to the scrap yard . The wreck was discovered by Plymouth historian Michael Pearn and raised in November 1982. Restoration work continued until 1988 but with little effect on the corrosion so it was immersed in a sodium carbonate solution for 4 years. The corrosion could now be removed and the sub put on display. Interesting that the batteries for the sub still worked after being submerged for such a long time. Pictured on

the right is the inside of the Holland 1 very small and had a complement of 8 on board.

We now head back across the harbour to continue our explorations.
We have one last boat to explore HMS M33 a small M29-class monitor from the the First World War she saw active duty during the Battle of Gallipoli August 1915. Armed with a pair of 6 inch guns and a shallow draught designed for coastal bombardment. She remained at Gallipoli until the evacuation in January 1916. She then served in

Mediterrain Her next service was in Russia in 1919 . After this she was renamed the Minerva in February  1925 and became a mine laying training ship. Her use adjusted with time , becoming a fueling hulk, a boom defence workshop. In 1939 her name changed again to Hulk C23. She eventually became a floating office until being sold in in 1984. She was eventually returned to Portsmouth to become part of the National Historic Fleet. One of three surviving Royal Naval Ships from WWI and the only surviving ship from the Gallipoli Campaign.

We have now covered all the ships in the docks and head into the 3 museums on the site. Our first stop is the Museum dedicated to the HMS Victory and Lord Nelson.  This museum contains paintings of the Battle of Trafalgar . items that belonged to Nelson and his lover Emma Hamilton.

The next Museum was by far my favourite as it was home to the various Mast Heads that once adorned ships. Pictured on the right is the figure head of the HMS victory. A
reconstruction as the original was destroyed in battle. Check out my Facebook Wall to see the many figureheads I took pictures of.

The last museum takes you thru the history of the British Navy from Tudor times to present day.  Time has passed quickly  it is already 4:30 and the dock close at 5. We have had a wonderful 2 days and only missed 2 attractions one a harbour boat ride and a offsite museum . The weather also cooperated allowing us to lose our winter coats and use spring jackets.

Our last stop before heading back to the hotel was to return to Gunwharf Shopping Centre as I wanted to get some pictures on the wharf itself of a masthead that looks out to the harbour. Pictured on the left.

We now say our goodbyes to Portsmouth. I would highly recommend a visit especially if you are into
Naval History . The passes are the best deal as they allow you on all attractions.

Ta ra for now,
Sandy & Fred

March 26,2018 - Portsmouth Historic Docks -Exploring the Ship

                                Ahoy Me Hearties,

We are up at out to the docks by 10 AM as there is much to explore.
We have decided to visit the 3 main ships at the docks . Our first stop is the HMS Warrior (1860). The Warrior is a 40 gunned steam powered armoured frigate built for the Royal Navy 1859-61. She was the first along with her sister ship HMS Black Prince the first of a  armour plated, iron hulled warship and built in response to the French's launching of the Gloire in 1859 the first iron clad warship.

Now I wonder why ships are called she's even when they have names like the Black Prince  or other very male names. Is it because we females are a very determined bunch that can be stubborn and can get the job done , something to think about gents!

The Warrior's construction used many well proven technologies of her time ,the wrought iron being the only new one of the time. Pictured on the right is the first deck of 68 pounder guns (Cannons). there were 15 on each side of the deck and were very labour intensive to load and shoot. The main deck contained 110 pound guns. all guns could fire explosive shells or shot. A rather scary prospect for both the ships firing or on the receiving end due to the chance of fire.

The Warrior had a two cylinder trunk steam engine that propelled her thru the waters at 16.8 MPH. Under sail and steam the Warrior could reach speeds up to 20.1 MPH against a incoming tide. Quite the feat for the time. We spend a good 2 hours exploring the ship deck by deck. The stairs down are very steep and I cannot imagine how quickly they must have moved around the ship in war conditions given how slowly I negotiate the stairs.



Our next stop is the HMS Victory. Famous for where Nelson lost his life during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The Victory is a 104 gunship ordered in 1758, built in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is the oldest naval ship still in Commission.We again spend good 2 hours exploring the ship. The Victory cost £63,176 and 3 shillings to build a equivalent of £7.92 million today.

The Victory took part in 4 different battles in her early years before the battle she is most famous for The Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson was Vice Admiral over the fleet and was responsible for the overall war plan. Pictured on the left is a plaque where Nelson is said to have been mortally wounded by a lucky French sharp shooter in the crows nest. The bullet entered through his left shoulder and lodged in his spine. Captain Hardy of the Victory and good friend to Nelson let him know before his death that Nelson was victorious in the battle. The Victory was to be broken up in 1831 and her timbers used in other ships but public outcry saved her. She continued to fall into a state of decay until a restoration period between 1922-1929 when King George V was able to unveil a plaque stating the restoration of the ship. Sadly the ship was bombed in WWII but the damage was not extensive. Restoration continued in the 20th century so we and 350,000 other visitors a year can enjoy the Victory.

Our last stop of ship exploration is the Mary Rose a carrack type warship of Henry VIII. This is more a museum where the remains of the ship are displayed as the  wreck  was  discovered in 1971 by divers and raised in 1981. Pictured on the right is a piece of the prow that if you look

very hard you can see the outline of the Tudor Rose. The Mary Rose was named after Henry's favourite sister Mary and the Rose being the Tudor symbol. The archaeological finds are very significant as they give us a time capsule of maritime life during the Tudor era. Human remains, cannons, dishes as well as the ship itself.

The Mary Rose was one of the largest warships of her time armed with new guns thru newly invented gun ports. she was also one of the earliest ships that could fire guns broadside. The archaeological finds are amazing. Half the ship ship remains intact simply because over time it was buried in the sand so it was protected from the elements. The ship sank in The Battle of Solent July 19, 1545 with fewer the 35 of the 400 crew surviving. Over 26000 artefacts have been risen, including timbers, weapons ,crew members skeletons.
With todays technology they were able to identify the diseases that inflicted the crew from rickets, scurvy or other deficiency disease. They also found animal remains 2 dogs and rat. We found it very interesting and even managed to get lost while trying to exit the museum.

Exploration for the day is done so we walk over to the Gunwharf Quays to find a place to eat a rather late lunch or early supper. I am exhausted and in much pain as I forgot my pain pills so bought some to take. This body is telling me getting a bit old to be clambering up and down old ship holds but thankful I can do it even if I am slow, also well worth the experience.

A full amazing day of exploration and there is still so much more to see. Bonus for us the weather has been amazing looking forward to returning for more exploration. Once again more pictures can be found on my Facebook wall.

Bye for now,

Sandy & Fred

March 25,2018- Off to Portsmouth to Explore

Greetings All,

After a lot of gripping on my part to Fred that we need to go somewhere before our big trip in May he books us in at the Marriott Portsmouth . We have been here before but just on a overnighter before heading off on the ferry to Europe a few years ago and said we would return to explore the historic docklands. We were originally to head off right after Easter as we were ½ ways there as we are in Cheltenham for Easter  and where hoping for warmer weather but footy ( soccer) to my Canadian and American friends managed to but a glitch to the original plans. So we head off before Easter early Saturday morning as the drive is all highway or motorway which I am not a fan of. Thankfully the trip down is mostly truck free and a smooth run with the exception of a very serious car fire just outside Birmingham. We are kind of amazed that they allowed the cars to continue past the fire as it is raging and the car is completely burned out. Hopefully no one was injured .

We arrive way to early to check into the hotel so we head off to explore Portchester Castle a medieval ruin. The strategic importance of the area has been recognised since at least the third century when a Roman fort was established here. Probably built by Marcus Aurelius Carausius between 285-290. Later a castle was built probably after the Norman Conquest sometime in the late 11th century . Pictured on the upper right and left are two views of the castle. Built on the harbour it was later used a a defence site and a point disembarkation for the various campaigns against the French and Spanish during the first quarter of the 14th century. The castle came under Royal control in 1154when King Henry II took it over and remained so for a number of centuries. Ir also served as a prison in the late 17th century for the Anglo- Dutch War (1665-1667) and later in the 19th Century during the Napoleonic Wars for over 7000 prisoners .

Fred is a good sport and lets me take a picture of him posing in one the the English Guards panels.The panel says Stay where you are or I will shoot you in the Gut, charming LOL. There is a bit of a museum in the Keep which you see in the first picture . We spend a god two hours exploring the castle and the grounds . The last picture is of the ships used during the Spanish Wars and a map of the battles at sea.


We also check out the St Mary Parish Church on the grounds. A small church that really is nothing special except the age and that it is built of stone similar to the castle. We stroll outside the castle walls along the harbour which gives you good views into Portsmouth. There are some fisherman and a young family crabbing. A nice start to our mini vacation . We now head off to the hotel for the night to rest up for our exploration of the Historic Docks of Portsmouth.
You can see more pictures of Portchester Castle on my Facebook wall .
Cheerio for now,

Sandy & Fred

January 8-11 - London & Birthday Celebrations

Greetings All,

We are all off to London via the train for Amy to hook up with friends and for us to explore new sites and celebrate my birthday.  We take the bus into town as the Mersey rail is on strike and Amy discovers how friendly and chatty Scousers are. Our train ride is non eventful and we take up the tube up to our hotel and wait for Karen as Amy is spending her last 5 days with her and her hubby who have recently moved to the UK from Vancouver. Fred and I arranged to meet up with Amy and Karen   tomorrow and they head off. We spend  the evening in the hotel taking full advantage of the hospitality suite that they have for Marriott members which has free wine ,food and other snacks.

We are up and out relatively early as we head up to Leicester Square to see what shows are available for the evening . We purchase tickets for Dream Girls which is at the Savoy. From here we walk to the Sky Garden. Better know as the Walkie Talkie building given its distinctive shape. Located in the City of London's Financial district, it is a sky scraper , 34 storey building that was designed by architect Rafael Vinoly , it cost over 200 million pounds to build. It was designed to be much taller but concerns over the visual impact on the nearby Tower of London and St Pauls Cathedral lead it to be scaled back. Completed in 2014 and the Garden opened in 2015.Viewing for the garden on the 34th floor is free though you need to book. The day we went is was very overcast and foggy so the views were not that great. Pictured on the left is the misty Tower bridge and the gardens that have been planted inside . It was awarded the Carbuncle Award in 2015 as the worst new build in London in the previous 12 months. We spend a good hour there taking pictures and checking out the gardens before saying our good byes to Amy and Karen.

Fred and I head down Fleet Street and then to the Strand . Pictured on the right is the clock ringers in the Law Courts. We stop for a late lunch at a pub before heading into The National Portrait Gallery. It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856. It now houses the portraits of Britain's historically important and famous people. Fred and I are most interested in the portraits from the Tudor Era done by the old masters like Hogarth.
Sadly pictures are not allowed. The portraits are amazing and in extremely good condition especially when you consider how long ago they were painted  and the products they used in the late 15th Century between 1485 and 1603.

We head back to the hotel to freshen up before heading back to the Savoy to see Dreamgirls.  Fred orders us drinks and they bring them right to our seat before the show and at the break. The picture on the left is of the Savoy  box seat taken from our seat 10 rows from the stage and right in the middle.
We really enjoy the show and once back at the hotel we enjoy a nightcap. It has been a full day of exploring and we walked just over eight miles.



January 10th my Birthday and we head off to St James Park on of my favorite parks in London. On our way to
The National Gallery we are lucky to see the changing of the Horse Guard

as pictured on the right. We visit the National Gallery a art museum in Trafalgar Square founded in 1824 and houses over 2300 paintings dating from the mid 13th century to 1900. We visit the old masters before checking out a building in the area which turns out to be The National Ballet building then heading off to Covent Gardens.We then go back to old walking grounds and the Cask for my first birthday drink of the day.
I enjoy a Pheasant Plucker Cider and we split a burger and fries to tie us over till Supper.  We head back to the hotel to freshen up as we have booked into The Shard for cocktails .

The lounge is on the 52nd floor and offers spectacular views of the city. When you first arrive you are seated at a wall seat then after about 20 minutes you are moved to a window seat. While we are enjoying our drink when we first arrive we are entertained by a young man who is full of himself very loud entertaining a young lady who it appears he is trying to do some type of investment with.
When we are moved to our window seat we are sat beside the guy we have been entertained by.  It turns out he is a diamond merchant and introduces himself to us. Wahid asked to buy us a drink which Fred refuses. I say thanks buy we are going out for dinner for my Birthday and have a place booked. Wrong thing as he insists he must buy us a drink. So we have a free drink and learn a bit about him.
His family is in the restaurant business while he went into the diamond business because of his interest in gemmology . We are invited to his country home in the fall . We finally say our goodbyes as its seems he is happy to buy more drinks but we lie and say we have to get to our reservation. To me it seems he is just a very lonely guy especially when he wants to chat up to old farts like us. We know well enough it was a chance meeting and we will never see him again but he did make the evening entertaining. The picture on the left is of the Tower Bridge taken from our window seat at the Shard. We decide to have dinner at the hotel as it has been a full day. We have only walked 5 ½ miles today but it feels like so much more. I have really enjoyed this visit to London as we have explored new places and seen new things. The City never fails to offer up new things to see and do.

Our trip home we take the train First Class. Great way to travel and I think how we should go in the future. I hope you have enjoyed this segment of our travels.

Ta rah for now,
Sandy & Fred

January 4-6,2018 - Williamson Tunnels,The Game & York

 Greetings All,

We are up and out relatively early as we want to explore The Williamson Tunnels. The tunnels were built between 1810 and 1840 by a eccentric business man Joseph Williamson. There have been many theories on why the tunnels were built but the most prevailing one was to give the poorer residents a paying job with the quarrying of the sandstone and building of his home and gardens. The work on the tunnels continued until his death in 1840. We have not been to the tunnels in at least 7 years and there has been a lot of major development in the area and we have a bit of difficulty finding the entrance. Once parked it seems we have perfectly timed our entrance as they are about to start a tour. We hook up with 2 older couples.The tour takes about 45 minutes in the areas that have been excavated. Pictured on the left part of the tunnel that shows upper tunnels space and well as the curved sandstone ceilings.. Once done we head into Liverpool City Centre  for Amy to shop.

January 5th is Game Day for us . Fred has managed to get tickets for Amy and me in the main stands. We are quite high up and have a very good view of the game. The first half is rather boring but thankfully the second half picks up and we win. Great result for Amy as the standing order from the guys is if L'Pool lose the visitors are not allowed to return .




 January 6th we are all up and out early as we head to York. Thankfully the weather has cooperated and though it is cool it is dry. Our first stop is York Castle Museum. The buildings in which the museum is located were once a Georgian prison. The museum is quite quirky as you travel back in time . With a complete Victorian street  with its shops and residents, to toys, clothes, appliances , chocolate , the First World War and the sixties.  Fred and I recognise may things we grew up with. Check out my Facebook  wall to see pictures from the museum.

Next Stop is Clifford's Tower  pictured on the left. The tower  or keep is all that remains of the medieval Norman castle . Built originally on the orders of William I to dominate the former Viking City of York. It had a tumultuous  early history before developing into a major fortification with extensive water defences. A major explosion in 1684 rendered the remaining military defensive uninhabitable. The castle continued to be used as a prison and jail until 1929. By the 20th Century it became a well know tourist attraction and national monument and is owned by the English Heritage .  Once our exploring is done we head into the Shambles a part of the city that has over hanging timber-frmaber building dating back to the 14th century. Check out my Facebook wall for pictures.

Amy and I head into the York Minster the largest medieval Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. The current building is around 800 years old and is at least the second minster to stand on this location.

History on this site dates back 2000 years as the remains of a Roman barracks were uncovered beneath the Minster in the 1960-70's with the excavation and the reinforcement of the undercroft due to structural damage and the threat of collapse .
Pictured on the right is a 1000 year book. The Gospel of York that tells the story of Jesus. It has survived fires, uprisings and the ravages of time. It is still used in the Minster today and is a powerful symbol of continuity .

While Amy and I explored the Minster Fred stayed outside to sort a way home that would take us to the Assheton Arms a Inn in Lancashire on the way home. It is very busy but they do seat us and we have a enjoyable supper. We have had a full day and are all looking forward to our trip to London on the 8th.

Ta rah for now

Sandy & Fred

Dec 30,2017 -Jan 2,1018- Amy Arrives & A None Existent Castle

Greetings All,

Our daughter -in-law Amy arrives from Vancouver around 10:30 AM at Manchester and we pick her up and head back to our place to get her settled in for a week with us before heading down to London for her to visit with friends. We spend the balance of the day relaxing catching up on news and planning the balance of the time she will be with us.  The 31st we take down the Christmas decorations and prepare for our New Years Eve dinner as the weather is wet and miserable.

We have a meat fondue of beef,pork,chicken and shrimp with veggies for our New Years Eve Celebration with Prosecco and copious amounts of red wine. Dessert is odds and ends from Christmas as our meal takes a relaxing 3 hours or so. We manage to stay up for the fireworks from London and there is also a decent display by someone in the neighbourhood.

January 1st find us chilling as nothing is open  and again the weather is wet and miserable. Lunch is various cheeses, smoked salmon,fruit, sausage rolls and Italian salami's.   Dinner is a Parkins standard for the New Year. Virginia baked ham , scalloped potatoes and peas, again with a fair share of red wine. We are all off to bed at a decent time as we head into Cheshire to explore  Congleton Castle tomorrow.

We are up and out by 10:00 AM as we want to explore Congleton Castle which Amy has found in Trip Advisor. We drive to Congleton and arrive at the address which Fred has put into the Nav chick which takes us to somebody's home . We stop in a Tesco parking lot so Fred can see if he can find further instructions and I go into the store to use the facilities. While coming out  I ask a gentlemen if he has heard of Congleton Castle and he informs me there is no such a castle in Congleton. There is a Folly which is a attraction in the area which he gives me directions to. A Folly in case you are interested is a building built primarily for decoration but its appearance suggests its use was for something else. We never to find the Folly so we head into Chester stopping for lunch at a pub along the way. Just turns out that the trip to Congleton was a folly itself .

We have a explore around Chester and then head to the Cathedral . The picture on the right is of Fred and Amy in front of a star at the Cathedral. Inside the cathedral is still very Christmassy and we spend a good ¾'s of a hour exploring. So the day has not been a total loss as we head back home after a disappointing start.


Cheers,
Sandy & Fred