Three Lions

James and Amber were traveling, and they kindly allowed me to make use of their apartment for a week while they were away.  This time I chose not to fly but instead take the scenic route of the ferry and train. The usual ferry on the Dublin to Holyhead run, the Ulysses, was out of service, so I boarded the new fast ferry, Dublin Swift.  The high-speed, twin-hulled catamaran takes only two hours compared to the regular ferry, which takes four hours.  I made friends with another lady, Muriel from Fermanagh, and we laughed all the way to Holyhead.  Then it was all aboard the train to London, changing at Chester.  All went well until we reached Stafford where the train broke down. We boarded the next train and got as far as Milton Keynes where we were delayed for half an hour due to signal failure. Anyway, I finally made it to London in time for dinner.

The next day, Lambeth Palace opened its garden to the public in aid of charity.  The day was very hot and I spent a couple of hours wandering the grounds.  The garden is spread over 10 acres, and it was astonishing to see how dry and yellow everything was.  There was a croquet tournament in progress and the lawn was completely parched with the grass crunching underfoot, just like it does back in Australia. 
 
 
The roses looked like they had caught fire, they were so brown and dry.  I half expected to see dehydrated squirrels dropping from the enormous trees.  I sought the shade of the marquee where a jazz band was playing and enjoyed strawberries and cream while listening to the music.  It was a pleasant way to spend some time and I would love to return to see the garden after a good soaking rain.

It was a little cooler walking along the Thames, so I decided to climb down and walk along the foreshore.  I didn’t do any mudlarking, however it was nice to see the river from a different angle. Poor old Big Ben looks a sorry sight at the moment. 

The tower is undergoing major repairs and is unrecognisable as it is completely encased in scaffolding.  

I spent the weekend out and about at my favourite haunts in London – Regent’s Canal, Broadway Market, London Fields, Columbia Road Flower Market and Victoria Park Market.  The weather was very hot but that didn’t stop me walking everywhere.
I also walked into Regent Street, which had been closed for traffic for a street fair, which was fun.

There is always something different to see and do in London, especially in the summertime.  I headed over to Regent’s Park for Frieze Sculpture. There were 25 different sculptures scattered around the park some of which were very colourful, some were interesting and others just plain weird.  I did have a laugh when a man approached me to enquire what I was photographing.  I pointed to the tree and asked, “Do you see those dangling wires?” He nodded. I said, “Well, that’s a sculpture”.  He just shook his head and walked away.  I swung past Queen Mary’s Rose Garden, which was in full bloom.  I was pleasantly surprised to see them looking so lovely as I had been concerned that they would be just as parched as the ones at Lambeth Palace. 



Next stop was Hyde Park to see Christo’s The London Mastaba, a 20 metre high sculpture floating on Serpentine Lake.  The temporary sculpture is made of 7,506 painted barrels and has caused a bit of controversy, with some people describing it as a giant bath toy.  I really liked it and enjoyed looking at it from all angles.

I was lucky enough to be in London for the RAF centenary celebrations.  I joined the throng of people lining The Mall and watched the parade of 1,000 RAF personnel.  When the parade finished, the crowd was allowed to proceed down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.  I positioned myself near the Queen Victoria Memorial and could just make out the Royal Family standing on the balcony in the distance. 


Then came the spectacular fly past of nearly 100 aircraft including Chinook helicopters, a Lancaster, Spitfires, Hurricanes and stealth fighter jets. The Red Arrows drew the spectacle to a close, streaming red, white and blue smoke.  It was thrilling to watch and the crowd certainly enjoyed themselves.

My visit coincided with that of the President of the United States, so naturally I went to see the Trump Baby balloon, which flew over the Houses of Parliament for two hours.  The balloon really put a smile on my face, and judging by the crowds of people taking photos and laughing, I wasn’t alone. I know that it was a childish stunt however it seemed fitting as his behaviour demands ridicule.  Then it was time to make my way to Marylebone to join the 100,000 strong protest march through the streets of central London. 

I collected my banner and chanted away as I walked.  I marched for a while behind the Trumpets Against Trump group and had a good laugh at some of the wittier signs along the way (some of them too rude to repeat). There was even a Trump look-alike, complete with secret servicemen.  The protestors were of all ages and it was a very peaceful march, which finished in Trafalgar Square.  Did my participation change the world?   Obviously not as President Bone Spurs is still in office however, I like to think that I was a tiny part of something which irritated him, even if it was only for a moment – as the song says, “a flea can bite the bottom of the Pope in Rome”.

I only intended to stay in London for a week, however Michael needed to fly over for work the following week, so James and Amber kindly let me extend my stay.  James returned from his holiday and we caught up with each other’s news over dinner at the Duke of Cambridge.  It is always lovely to see him.

Michael was staying with his work colleagues at the Novotel near Heathrow airport and I joined him there for one night, as James was having friends stay as they transited through London. We dined that evening at a lovely pub called The Plough.  The weather was still hot so we were able to take advantage of the beer garden and enjoyed a nice meal while relaxing and chatting.

We returned to James’ for the weekend and had a lot of fun just spending time together.  We enjoyed a meal at the Quality Chop House in Clerkenwell on the Friday evening.  James and I had dined there before however, it was Michael’s first time and we had a great time.

Saturday morning started with brunch at Brunswick East café in Dalston, followed by a walk around the area including the Ridley Road Market.  This vibrant market has been going since the 1880’s with over 150 stalls selling a wide range of Afro-Caribbean, Asian and European goods. It has a fun atmosphere with reggae music playing and is really like stepping into a different world. 

We also took a walk to Violet bakery, made famous as the bakers that made Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s wedding cake.  I had visited there earlier in the week and purchased some biscuits for James and he was keen to see the bakery himself. It is a small shop, located in a leafy side street and we stopped for coffee and cake.  James said that the biscuits tasted just like his grandma makes. 

The afternoon was spent checking out the Sculpture In The City installations.  This annual festival is held in the Square Mile and it took us quite a while to locate different artworks.  All of the pieces were interesting, some more than others.

 
There were even two sound art projects – one was birdsong emitting from a tree and the other was a whistled rendition of the Great Escape’s theme tune.  It was actually a good way to explore the different side streets within the Square Mile and see the new developments taking place, including The Scalpel.

All the walking around made for thirsty work, so we stopped off at a roof top bar that I had read about with supposedly the best view of St Paul’s Cathedral.  The Roof Terrace at One New Change did indeed have spectacular views, not only of the Cathedral but also the London skyline.  We weren’t exactly dressed for the occasion, however I think that they relax the dress code for tourists.  We finished the day with dim sum at Ping Pong.

Sunday was another glorious day so we took a nice walk along the canal to Victoria Park, stopping for coffee and pastel de natas at the market there.  We spent some time exploring the park and enjoying the sunshine before heading to The Duke of Richmond for an early roast lunch.  The food was fabulous and it was the perfect way for Michael to finish his time in London.

James and I travelled with Michael to Paddington station where he caught the Heathrow Express to the airport.  James had never been to Little Venice, so we took a walk and joined the canal there. It was such a lovely day that we just kept walking, calling in to the Camden Markets along the way before making our way to Joseph Grimaldi Park.  I wanted to show James this quirky little park, which is situated on the former burial grounds for St James’s Episcopal Church.  The park is names after the clown Joseph Grimaldi who is buried there. A musical artwork dedicated to Grimaldi is situated in the park and it was this that I wanted to show to James.  The artwork consists of twin casket shapes made of bronze floor tiles and they play musical notes when you dance on them.  It is a bit of fun and seems the perfect way to celebrate the life of a clown.

The following day it was time for me to return home.  The Ulysses was still under repair, so my rail/sail booking had been rescheduled. Unfortunately for me, my direct train departing from Euston station at 9.00am was changed to 6.30am from Euston and required 3 changes.  Luckily for me, all went smoothly and I made it time for the departure of Dublin Swift.      

  

    

The Men of Kent

Michael and I flew to England to pay our respects at the memorial service for Margaret’s husband, Peter, who passed away in April.  The service was a moving testament to a man well loved by family and friends.  The wake was held at the Crown Inn, a beautiful, old pub (1874) in the nearby village of Chislehurst.  

Afterwards, we decided to visit the Hop Shop in Shoreham, to see the lavender fields and to have some afternoon tea, as it was only a 20 minutes drive from Chislehurst.  Two hours later we arrived!  We were told it was near Lullingstone Park, and we typed Lullington into the sat nav by mistake.  We had been driving down the highway for nearly an hour before we realised our error, and after turning around, we got stuck in the mother of all traffic jams, due to animals on the road and a break down.  When we finally arrived at the Hop Shop, we discovered that they didn’t have a café.  They did, however, have a lovely shop crammed with everything lavender you could possibly think of – soaps, candles, ice cream etc.  We continued driving until we found the Honey Pot Tea Rooms where we enjoyed a very nice cream tea (albeit without clotted cream as they had run out). We returned to our hotel in Orpington and enjoyed our evening meal at the nearby Italian restaurant, Osteria Da Fabrizio .  The meal was excellent and the owners must have been huge Elton John fans, as his music played non-stop throughout dinner (amazing how prolific a song writer he is).

The following day we picked James and Amber up from Orpington station as we were taking them on a pilgrimage to see where James’ grandmother had been born and raised in the village of Goudhurst.  It was a picturesque drive through the countryside and I don’t think that they could believe how narrow some of the roads were.  It was pretty hair-raising at times, as you can’t really see around the bends as roadside hedges obscure the view.  We arrived in Goudhurst in good time and were delighted to discover that the village fete and dog show was taking place.  Talk about perfect timing!  We parked the car and walked to the nearby Glebe Field to the fete.  We purchased some drinks (Pimm’s for the girls, beer for the boys), and set out to show James and Amber a real slice of English village life. We saw the Weald of Kent Morris Men performing their dances.  One particular gentleman really relished clashing his stick (he reminded me of Private Fraser in Dad’s Army).
 
Then we watched the girls from the local primary school perform Maypole dancing. I had never seen Maypole dancing before and it was interesting to see them dance and make intricate patterns with their ribbons around the pole.  There were dogs of all shapes and sizes, with some of them in fancy dress.  We ate strawberries and cream and scones and really enjoyed ourselves.  The weather was perfect and it was fun to see so many people having a great time.

When we finished at the fete, we visited St Mary’s Church with its square tower on the top of the hill. This was where Michael’s mother attended church as a young girl.  The church tower was open to visitors, so Michael and James ascended to the top to admire the views, leaving Amber and I to explore the church.  We were amused to discover that a paper-plane competition was taking place in the aisle, with young boys doing their best to make their planes fly the furthest.  

Lunch was at the 14^thcentury pub, The Star and Eagle in Goudhurst.  The weather was so beautiful that we were able to dine outside in the sunshine.  Just when I thought the day could not get better, I found that steak and kidney pudding was on the menu – perfect with Kent ice cream to follow, all washed down with another glass of Pimm’s.  It really doesn’t get more English than that!

We wandered around the rest of the village, pointing out the street where James’ grandma was born, trying to imagine what it must have been like to grow up in the little town.  Now, of course, Goudhurst is very gentrified, but it would have been very different 70 years ago.

Driving back to Orpington, we saw a sign pointing to the Hush Heath Estate Winery and decided that we should take a look.  We gained entry after first negotiating their new automatic driveway gates (they kept closing), and discovered a vast estate of 400 acres of vineyards, apple orchards and woodlands.  The friendly staff offered us a tasting of 3 wines and we sat outside and enjoyed sampling the wines.  Unfortunately, they had sold out of their red wines, however their white wines were very good.  Michael as he was the designated driver sampled apple juice.  It would be lovely to return there in a couple of years to see the new tasting rooms, which are being built.

Margaret and her family joined us for dinner at the Cow and Pig across the road from our hotel.  It was a lovely meal and it was fun catching up on each other’s news.  Margaret was also able to tell James a few tales from his grandmother’s youth.   

James and Amber stayed overnight in Orpington, so the following morning we set off for the thirty minutes drive to Chartwell, the former home of Sir Winston Churchill.  We arrived two hours later, having typed Chartwell into the sat nav.  We now know that there are two Chartwells!  Still, at least we saw plenty of pretty country lanes and even a number of greyhounds along the way.  We were all pretty hungry by the time we arrived and were very happy to see that the café offered cream tea (clotted cream and all).  Suitably refreshed, we took a walk around the extensive gardens, which were quite lovely.  The views were stunning and there was a huge rose garden with roses of every colour in full bloom.  There were lots of dogs there, as it seems a popular place for locals to come and walk their pets.  We visited the studio where Churchill spent many hours painting and saw a large number of his works.  The house itself is a rambling mansion and we were able to walk around the various rooms, which were crammed with interesting memorabilia and the like.  There was also a very interesting exhibition on Lady Clementine Churchill, a remarkable woman.  We all enjoyed our visit to Chartwell and it has inspired James to visit the Churchill War Rooms in London.  

We had hoped to have lunch with James and Amber, however time had run away from us, so we dropped them off at Sevenoaks Station so that they could return to London.  It was lovely to see them again and we had a lot of fun together.      

More photos of Goudhurst and the surrounds