After a wonderful week with Trudi and other friends in Russikon and Zurich Oberland , it was time to pack for another long period away, in fact 24 Augut till 10 October. The next weeks will be a great mixture of family and friends, some not seen for many many years, visits to places last visited decades ago, and lots of new places, particularly in Scotland.
I was hugely impressed by my Easyjet flight. Cheap, comfortable, punctual and with such friendly staff. I haven't flown wilth them for years, so was really pleasantly surprised. The fabulous weather also meant really wonderful flight conditions.
I have to admit to being rather shocked and far less impressed by the traffic in England. I thought Swiss roads were bad enough, but the number of cars and trucks on the English roads, at off peak times, is really scary! I cannot imagine driving here.
It was good to reach Hemel Hempstead, where my sister and brother in law, Lyn and Norman, live in a large home with spacious garden with views only of trees, bush and fields. The crowded motorways were soon forgotten as we sat outside listening only to the gentle, yet constant cooing of the wood pigeons!
What weather we had for the entire weekend. It was the warmest Bank Holiday weekend on record! To be searching out shade in England is something which rarely happens, but I certainly struggled with the heat!
I had a wonderful reunion with Natalie, from Zurich/Zuoz, on Friday. We found such a lovely pub not far from the hustle and bustle of Euston Station, and chatted the day away. So much to catch up on. It was super. Sadly, no photos, not even a selfie!
Annie, my sister , arrived from Wales in the evening and the next day we had a fantastic pub lunch next to the Grand union Canal. We had two delicious platters of food and I so enjoyed watching the canal boats go by. It is something I would love to do. I just need someone to travel with either in England or better still France.
It appears to be a great lifestyle and very cheap. We chatted to the owner of the boat pictured above and he told us he pays only about 3000 pounds a year to live in his boat. Of course, you have to be flexible and ready to move on every fortnight, but I could certainly imagine doing it for a while.
The pubs and the pretty canals are very inviting. This was a clever piece of advertising!
The house at HH steadily filled up. Saturday evening came Claire, my middle niece and Glaswegian husband Tony, centre left, and their two girls. With temperatures still in the upper 20s we enjoyed dinner in the garden.
Sunday was Norman's 82nd birthday and the family numbers swelled again with the addition of Becky, closest to camera left, and her two children. What a feast we had, and what weather. We were fighting over the shade, and sun umbrellas which had been stashed away for years, unused, were dusted off and desperately needed. A very memorable day in so many ways.
The paddling pool was still so popular despite the age of my great nephews and nieces. Even the dog was happy to cool off!
Just as quickly as the house had filled, so it emptied again and it was time to pack again , and after a very pleasant morning sitting under the trees in the garden, I set off to Surrey, where we had grown up. It is a beautiful English county with so much open space, hills, farms with their lush green fields, forests and picturesque wee villages, mostly with the village green and cricket pitch in the centre of the village, surrounded by pretty little homes with fabulous gardens, and of course numerous quaint pubs with beer gardens. I so love the villages here.
It was great to catch up with old school friends Di and Ian and to meet their new pride and joy, this absolutely immaculate 83 year-old Rolls Royce!
Even if you are not a vintage car enthusiast, it would be hard not to enthuse at such a work of art. I guess that if I had such a car, I might clean and polish it a lot more than I do my Mazda!
Although Di had said we would not have a full programme on the first afternoon, she had managed to conjure up a brilliant afternoon of restful activities which all brought back floods of marvelous memories.
We lived in Brockham for the first four years of our married life. It was one of the loveliest Surrey villages, in my opinion, so it was great to sit in the churchyard overlooking the village green, enjoying afternoon tea, whilst supporting one of my favourite charities, the Cats' Protection League. What a great start to the visit.
I would like a bench like this placed near Lake Wanaka, when I can no longer be around 'to watch the world go by'.
I had quite honestly forgotten how gorgeous the cottages/houses in this village are. The upkeep costs must be incredible but thankfully there are still enough people with the desire and means to pay these.
Di very kindly drove us to the top of Box Hill, the highest point in the area, from which there was a super view over Brockham, where we had just had tea, and the Surrey countryside. Being a sunny Bank Holiday weekend, the hill was covered with families enjoying the views, fresh air and good company. I had never seen it so busy! But then, I had rarely gone up there on a holiday weekend
A visit to Surrey is not complete without a visit to Mum and Dad's grave. I love that churchyard with its shady trees. It is a haven in the heat of the day.
We had so much to catch up on, Di and I, and then we were joined by Nicky, who Was my doubles tennis partner throughout school , and arch rival in singles. 😀never quite got the better of her in singles, but it is really great to spend time with both Di and Nicky, currently on an almost annual basis. This year sadly no tennis to watch, but we made a visit to Chartwell Estate, home of Sir Winston Churchill and his family for decades. Not only was it wonderful to learn so much about this brilliant politician, writer and artist, but the house has been very well maintained, as have the gardens, allowing an insight into his life there. Dennis would have so loved the books there I am sure. 4000 of his collection remain there, some his own books and thousands of others. Apparently some were empty, allowing him a secret place for small whisky bottles it seems!
I loved this notice board! Too late for me but I really like the three quarters element. Perhaps I will need to produce something similar for 'things to do before you are 69 and three quarters!
It is hard to believe that Churchill's wife did not like Chartwell. I guess it was rather remote and required a lot of cleaning, but for him a fabulous retreat from the stresses and strains of government, giving Churchill the inspiration required to lead the country, to write and paint. I loved everything about the place and can understand Churchill' comment , "a day away from Chartwell is a day wasted".
I only found out half way round the house that photography was not permitted.,I had only taken two photos, one of the books and this one of the sitting room, which was ornate and yet still quite homely. It was a pity I did not have a photo of the dining room which was very special due to the furnishings, green and cream floral chairs and cushions, complementing so well the magnificent the gardens and forests seen through the huge windows on all sides of the room.
The flower and vegetable gardens reminded me of the gardens I had recently visited in Ireland. It is rather incredible to think that Churchill actually helped to build a substantial area of the wall which encloses the garden area. I wonder if Trump will help out with his wall!
Thanks Nicky and Di for a brilliant day.
After a delicious meal in a huge pub garden in an adjacent village, Brasted, we headed home.. In the evening it was fantastic to catch up with an old friend , Carol, from my hotel days 35 years ago! Such moments are truly special and I am sure we will not leave it long before we meet again!
I had such a great time over the 5 days with such a perfect mix of fruends, family and fond memories.
Now I am on the teain racing through the lovely English countryside towards Devon and Vornwall, where Annie and I will enjoy the next week together.
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