Spent last night with Dad & M after getting back around 11 pm from Dover.
Ian collected us after breakfast & we met up with Sharon, Dean & Simone.
Drove to Sam & Rob Gillman in St Albans. Had a lovely walk round St Albans, visiting the church that was started in 1077! Sam cooked the most AMAZING dinner for us.
Wednesday
Met up with Mike & Wendy at Ian & Margaret's house in Farnham. Then Mike drove us to Portsmouth to catch the ferry to Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
Had a BBQ in the evening in Seaview & played some cards.
Thursday
Went to Water's Edge restaurant for lunch, then for a nostalgic walk around the area. The weather was sunny & wonderful.
Brought back many fond memories of when my parents used to live at Water's Edge &, being Mum's birthday, she was very much in my thoughts.
I also remember Michael selling ice creams from the kiosk, so had to indulge in one.
Went for a glorious long walk in the afternoon to Bembridge, both along the beach & through the forest.
Friday
Caught ferry back from IOW to Portsmouth then Mike drove us to Farnham to spend a couple of days with Ian & Margaret.
Lunch with Maureen & John Brewis in a delightful pub in Tilford.
Went for walk around Farnham Park in the morning.
Margaret put on an amazing spread for lunch & we really appreciated the efforts of all 4 daughters & families to attend the Sargeant family get together. It reminded me a bit of the TV series, the Waltons! We had a wonderful catch up & met 2 new additions to this lovely family.
Sunday
Drove to Malborough. Had a marvellous catch up with the Scholefields, who took us for a drive around the area then on a walk through an amazing old forest.
Monday
Drove to Pershore to visit Rachel, who is looking as attractive as ever.
Stopped for lunch at Stratford Upon Avon where William used to live (Paul's contribution to the day's events!!!).
I (Jane!!!) loved wandering through Anne Hathaway's cottage & was very emotional at seeing Shakespeare's grave in the local cathedral. I was amazed that he wasn't buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. We went on a little cruise down the Avon River which completed a blissful experience.
On the way back to Wimblington we stopped at Leamington Spa & had a drink with Hayley & Alistair.
Tuesday
Spent the day in Wimblington waiting for Dad to come out of hospital after his surgery.
Fetched Dad in the evening & he was very cheerful & relieved that the operation was over. Marjorie cooked us all a wonderful dinner.
Wednesday
Drove to Newby Bridge in the Lake District to spend 2 nights with Gwyn & Margaret. Went for a walk up to the highest point in the area & got magnificent 360 degree panorama of Lake Windemere. Later explored "the estate".
Thursday
Went for a drive around the gorgeous Lake District, seeing not only Windemere, but Rydal Water, Grasmere, Thirlmere, Derwentwater, Ullswater & Brothers Water. Pretty impressive in one day!
Map of the Lakes that we visited (drawn by Gwyn).
We toured the Wordsworth Museum & Dove Cottage, where Wordsworth spent his most creative period (Paul's adrenalin was rushing!) There was also a special exhibition called "Wordsworth, War & Waterloo", which really put his life in context & suggested that Wordsworth is perhaps one of England's greatest war poets! An interesting perspective.
We then stopped in Keswick, where my Mom had been evacuated from Liverpool University during the war. Very special for me, as Gwyn & Margaret took us to the hotel where she had stayed & studied. It was also market day, which was nice.
Friday
Went for a 40 minute boat from Newby Bridge to Bowness on a boat that was involved in the evacuation from Dunkirk.
Then drove down to Heysham to catch the ferry to Douglas on the Isle of Man.
Met by Chonquee & her 2 nephews, Angus & Graham, at the ferry port in Douglas.
We stayed in their cottage in Laxey with a great sea view.
Chonquee drove us around the IOM on the TT track, which was a real eye opener (if you were sitting in the front!!), considering the speeds that the bikes go.
Went to Tyndall Hill (the local Indaba Tree!) on the way to Peel harbour town.
Sunday
Went to the Lady Isabella in Laxey which is the oldest working water wheel in the world, then walked up to & into the zinc mine that it services.
Then went by electric train up to Snaefell & saw the 7 Kingdoms - IOM, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, God's & Neptune's. Pretty special.
Next we went to Cregneash, a traditional Manx crofting village, where we also saw a stumpy cat & a Loaghtan sheep that eats like a warthog.
Nearby were the chasms, which were pretty scary.
At the Calf of Man we bumped into an old student of mine, whom Paul coached rugby. Such an amazing coincidence!
Castle Rushen, a beautifully preserved Medieval castle, & some pretty beaches rounded off our tour of the lovely Isle of Man.
Monday
Caught ferry back to the UK & drove to Wimblington.
Tuesday
Caught train to London via Peterborough. Had a picnic on a sunny day in a beautiful London park with Samantha & Margie Barker (ie dear cousin & old friend, who had come all the way from Totnes just to have lunch with us!) What more could one ask for?!
Went on the underground to the O2 Stadium at Greenwich & took cable car over the Thames. Drove the Nissan Leaf electric car in the simulator in the Nissan interactive exhibition. Saw the Olympic Stadium which is being converted to the new West Ham Football Ground.
Went to Mike & Wendy's for a braai, & were joined by Sally & Henry, making for another fun evening.
Wednesday
Went with Mike on a really good tour of Twickenham (sat in Jonny Wilkinson's chair in the England change rooms) while Jane went with Wendy to Hampton Court Palace. We both enjoyed our choice of outings. Bumped into Sir Clive Woodward but he didn't recognise me!
Hampton Court was AMAZING - full of fascinating history, beautiful architect & artwork, stunning gardens (with maze, which we cracked!) & beautifully preserved. We even saw an enactment of a play in the grand chambers.
Then caught tram & train to Earls Court to meet up with Calvin & Paula Maughan at the Premier London Kensington Hotel, where we spent the night because of its proximity to Wimbledon. Had a wonderful catchup dinner at the pub nearby.
Thursday
Woke up at 4am to queue for Wimbledon tickets. Got in!!!! Such a thrill! It exceeded all expectation in the beauty, atmosphere & accessibility to the courts & players. We saw Nadal practising, tons of players walking around, chatting & signing autographs. I even got interviewed by ITV! We watched a great doubles match with Lleyton Hewitt & Kokkinakis & were really impressed by their passion, determination & focus. My other highlight was watching the mercurial Gael Monfils, who clearly just loves playing tennis.
To cap off the best of days, we met Paula & Luke!
Friday
Caught the underground to London Bridge where we hopped on the Big Bus but did not hop off until we met with Calvin & Paula for lunch in Piccadilly Circus. Then did a short cruise on the Thames from Westminster to the Tower of London, which I used to walk past when I worked at St Katherine's Docks. Also met up with other friends from Bulawayo at the Horniman Pub on the bank of the Thames.
Matt Thompson, Ryan Philips & family and Marty Cottam
Farewell lunch at Gates restaurant with Dad & Marjorie.
Drove to Bainton to meet up with Ian & Sharon. Went for motorbike ride with Dean on his new Ducati, while Jane went into Peterborough, passing the house where I was born. Just a pity we did not have the bikes on the Isle of Man to ride around the TT circuit.
After a relaxing morning, we drove to Fotheringhay where Richard III was born & where Mary Queen of Scots had been imprisoned before her execution.
We then went to the very impressive Peterborough Cathedral where both she & Katharine of Aragon are buried.
We had fun playing with Simone's new puppy, her graduation present for becoming a vet.
Ian & Sharon took us to the Holiday Inn Express at Heathrow as our flight for the USA left early. We had a farewell dinner at the Spur.
Special thanks to all our family & friends in the UK for making our stay so special & memorable.
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