HYPOTHERMIA TO HYPERTHERMIA

Hi,

Penultimate blog today. Last week in Crystal Palace the temperature rarely moved above 10 centigrade. Since then as we know it is in the mid-twenties and it is absolutely true that the English countryside looks so fantastic when the weather is decent.
I had a bit of a nostalgia trip last week visiting pubs and places near the old school.

Happy Days? Went to the Dulwich Woodhouse which some of you will recall and the Crown & Greyhound (aka The Dog) in the village. Not much changed except they both major on food but both stll serve real ale at bargain prices (not!). We had to buy some rice and went to the local store - £6.95 for 500g of Basmati. Londis up the hill charged under £3.
Anyway, we left on Monday for Thurston in Suffolk to see Pauline's younger sister Jane and nephew Troy, who I'm glad to say is a CPFC supporter.

Visited the local vineyard courtesy of Jane who ferried us around to sample and buy some wine and had some nice country walks. Some good topiary:

and because the weather is so fantastic we have decided to extend our trip for a few days and have arrived at Fakenham to take in some racing. Final blog next week.

Cheers
J&P

ISLE OF WIGHT TO WORTHING AND BEYOND

Good Afternoon,

We finished off our visit to the Isle of Wight listening to our friend Deb sing in a concert with the Camerata Chamber Choir and the music of the composer Patrick Hawes who was there in person to present his music and conduct. Sadly, for me, his name meant nothing but he is, as I'm sure many of you will know, quite famous and was resident composer for a few years at Classic FM. Anyway we all enjoyed it and afterwards the whole family went for a curry.

On Sunday we were invited round for an enormous and lovely lunch. So many thanks to Mike and Deb. We enjoyed ourselves very much on the Island and it is a really good place to spend a wek or two.
Off then to Worthing and to see cousin and Godmother Jo who entertained us to lunch - we are doing well with our invitations! Fine food and wine and lots of chat later we strolled back to our campsite.
Next stop Crystal Palace and a fine site next to Crystal Palace Park. We met there some of our old ski-ing chums, Mary, John and Tracy. We hadn't seen them for 25 years and in all the excitement I forgot my camera. For those of you who are reading this and may know them I can assure you that they haven't changed at all! Next morning we saw Mum and Dad's old neighbours Sally and Malcolm for coffee. Great to see them again. Their new neighbours do seem a bit of a nightmare, though.

Crystal Palace area has got a bit gentrified since I was last there with lots of cafes, delis and bars. A couple of good real ale pubs too offering discounts to Camra members. On the way back to the campsite I thought I must be in a timewarp and travelling back to 1970. The line-up at the next Concert in the Park - Rick Wakeman, The Strawbs, Barclay James Harvest, Hawkwind and Focus. Just need Edgar Broughton to turn up and the transformation would be complete!

Until next week
J&P

A WALK IN THE NEW FOREST

Hi Everybody,

Bank Holiday weekend saw us in Holmsley in the New Forest. Bikes off the van and a couple of cycle rides between the showers. Last Sunday saw an unusual orange orb in the sky so it was walking boots on. The sun belied the cold but having ushered away the polar bears huddled together outside the van for warmth we strode out for Bransgore. It was only 3 miles so on the mainly tarmac route we selected we arrived in 45 minutes. A Sunday lunchtime drink fortified us for the journey home. Our walking map suggested a new path back but it had disappeared so we went back to the road. However, another road beckoned us and a few hundred metres ahead, another couple had a map (and compass) in hand so we caught them up.
They were searching for the path marked on their map which seemed to be on our left. Unfortunately there was a padlocked gate barring our way. That was our first clue. But undaunted we clambered our way over the gate and set off down the path. After 10 minutes we reached another dead end. Our new companions pointed to the map. A right turn was the way. This was our second clue. It was blocked by a 5 foot barbed wire fence! It looks like we can slide underneath our new friend suggested. So we did. The path was there, overgrown and increasingly boggy. After a few more minutes the odd couple looked at their compass and decided they would go south east. We thought we wanted to go north east. So we split up and never saw them again. On we went through marshy ground over large streams occasionally finding a path but every time we tried to head in the direction we wanted there was barbed wire. An hour or so later we found a wide path but leading in the wrong direction. We took it and climbed several moe locked gates before reaching a road. We climbed over the last padlocked gate leaving behind us the sign advising trespassers would be shot on sight and chose a left turn. A mile or two further on there was a sign for our site and despite being chased by rampaging cows for the last few hundred metres we were at last home. (Had we turned left instead of right once we reached the road we discovered that in a few hundred metres we would have been back in the pub we started out from - which in retrospect might have been a better bet).
So off to the Isle of Wight on a plush Caravan Club site in Newchurch and to see old friends Deb and Mike and goddaughter Catherine and other siblings, Louise and Isabel. Everywhere was too wet to walk or cycle so we have relied on buses to take us to the Garlic Farm, Carisbrooke Castle where Louise works and Osborne House.

OSBORNE HOUSE

CARISBROOKE CASTLE

OSBORNE HOUSE

The weather has picked up in the last few days so my half trousers have seen the light of day if not my shorts! More news next week perhaps a bit earlier.

love J&P

ON CHESIL BEACH

Good Afternoon,

Last week saw us at a very wet and muddy Wyke Regis overloooking Chesil Beach.

Entertained by our friends Julia & Steve on Sunday evening with a nice chicken coconut curry and pavlova we returned to our van in the worst conditions yet. Very windy and very wet and our van sinking in the mud. A quiet Monday and a damp Tuesday morning folowed but we were determined to do our 9 mile coastal walk to Abbotsbury. Graffito proclaiming 'Noah woz here' suggested it was not the day to trial my new walking sandals but the weather was turning sunny so booted up off we went. The paths were totally flooded and muddy and the fields we crossed were flood plains. But once we started we persevered and the scenery and views were great. We saw lovely birds en route including what we think was a red kite. (medium sized bird of prey with reddish wings if anybody wishes to confirm - Jan,)

Continuing past the racing stables of John Coombe,

and fields of rape and stunning views,

we arrived very weary 5 hours later. Luckily Abbotsbury has a pub and despite coughing up £3.80 a pint, ale has rarely tasted so good. An advantage of long walks or bike rides in England is that they finish up with a pint of real ale rather than a glass of some undrinkable Spanish lager.
We were also luck to find a bus to take us back to a mile from our campsite.
On Wednesday we spent the day in Weymouth meeting our friends in the evening for a meal in a local pub.

A walk home in the dry was a bonus as was the decent bloke on the next pitch who towed us out of our quagmire. So great to see friends again but off on our travels to the New Forest last Friday and seeing new friends.

This post is a bit later today than intended for reasons that I will explain next week.

All the best
J&P