A bad start to London

On Wednesday we woke a little late, had breakfast with Ed, he left for work, and then I started feeling sick. I lay in bed waiting for the stomach pains to go away but they didn’t. I tried natural remedies, some pills from the local chemist, gentle walking, rest… In the end I was sick and brought up what little I had managed to eat throughout the day. That spoiled all our plans for day one in London, and obviously impacted the rest of our time here. Rob and Sandy had planned a beautiful dinner for us at a restaurant that is very hard to get into. It was to be a wedding gift. I had to cancel on them and I felt absolutely terrible. Everybody was disappointed and miserable. Rob had gone to a lot of trouble with the reservation. David spent the day bored and unhappy. I spent it in pain, nausea, tears and guilt for how it was affecting everyone else. It was dreadful.

Tuesday’s Enormous Trip

On Tuesday morning it was time to say goodbye to Simon and Jo, as well as farewell David’s parents for the rest of the trip. We gave Annabel a pair of earrings which we think she really liked, and a bottle of perfume from my parents to wish her a happy birthday. We got in our little hired peugot and drove all the way from Netheravon to Herne Bay, where my Dad’s sister Helen and her husband Paul live. The trip took several hours as we were pretty much driving from one side of England to the other. Aunt Helen and Uncle Paul live in a house that is virtually on the edge of a cliff. Below them is the ocean, where the Thames estuary connects to the North Sea. Helen made us lunch in the conservatory – a room many British houses have that is all glass, like a greenhouse. We had a good catch up in lovely surroundings, you could even see the sea from the table. Paul took us out into the garden to show us what was in various directions – the Thames, the Isle of Shipley, Essex and the North Sea.


After our visit we had to hurry back inland, this time to London, to get our car back to the hire company in time before they closed. For our time in the city, the last thing we need is a car. The tube, buses or even a London cab is far more convenient. With my navigation skills and David’s reasonably calm driving – believe us, London driving is far more stressful than the worst Sydney driving – we made it to Belsize in time to return the peugot which had served us well for our use of over 500 miles and then walked to Hampstead, where we were to stay with David’s Uncle Rob and his partner Sandy. Rob was especially impressed with David’s ability to drive into London, and I must say, so was I. Thanks for getting us here in one piece honey! Sandy served us an absolutely delicious pasta dish which I must make sometime -
Sliced courgette (zucchini, but I much prefer the European term), asparagus, crème fraiche and lemon juice with a little parmesan grated on the top. Low fat, satisfying, uncomplicated, fantastic!
Thanks also to Edward for giving up the spare room for us and sleeping on the lounge… xxx

Beloved Bath

On Monday morning we hit the road and headed to Bath. We saw Stonehenge as we drove along, and went via Warminster, where Nigel and Annabel married 30 years ago. I took a photo of them at the entrance to the beautiful church.


Many people have told us they could live in Bath, English and otherwise. David had been before and I knew it would be special but it really blew my expectations away. Not only are the roman baths ancient, but the city of Bath is incredibly old and impressive. The buildings are mainly stone, beautiful and full of history. The roads are cobblestone, the views are amazing, and it is a huge city set on a hill so as you drive in, the view is spectacular. With a look from such a different time it is no surprise that many films are made in Bath. David’s parents went to explore the city and do some shopping, and David, Ros and I went to the Roman baths. I took a ridiculous amount of photos of which I will only show a few here.

David and his Nan in front of the cathedral at Bath


Part of the intricate ceiling at the entrance to the baths


David looking royal


The emperor that I think of as Lord Voldemort


Together at the baths


David’s parents and Nan had a long drive back to her home so after a very English lunch (a Cornish pastie – if you ever get the chance to try a beef and stilton one, DO IT!) we went window shopping on our own.

David tucking in to a Ben & Jerry’s sundae – We thought of you Raini!


Moleina , if only I’d had the space I’d love to have bought you one of these.

French Feasting with Family

Sunday was our last day all together before Ed, Rob and Sandy had to head back to London for work. David’s grandmother, Ros joined us to celebrate Annabel’s birthday which was on the Tuesday. We went to a French restaurant and David’s Grandpa, Simon treated us to an enormous fancy lunch. We were led out to the back of the restaurant, where a huge table had been set up just for us in the garden. It was warm and bright and a fantastic atmosphere. David and I both ordered a pike mousseline and beef with foie gras – YUM! Here we all are together.

After our feast the Londoners had to take off, so we watched the very long game of soccer on tv and then had a light but tasty supper together in the garden.

Here is a pretty close match to the recipe – it was delicious.
Corn & Chorizo Chowder
2 sliced good bacon, chopped
2 leeks, white & light green parts sliced
1 c yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz chorizo, sliced
2 T all-purpose flour
2 russet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 c chicken stock
2 c water
1 t fresh thyme, chopped
3 T fresh parsley, chopped
salt
pepper
1 1/2 c milk
2 c corn, fresh or frozen

In a large heavy soup pot cook the bacon until crisp over medium heat. Move the bacon to a paper towel to drain but leave the fat in the pan. Set the bacon aside.
Add the leeks, onion, garlic & chorizo to the pot. Cook on medium for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour in & cook while stirring for 1 -2 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock & water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover & let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the thyme parsley plus salt & pepper to taste. Simmer covered for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Add the milk & corn. Simmer uncovered for another 5 - 10 minutes. Taste for seasonings.
5 - 6 servings

Grandpa & Jo’s 25th Anniversary

Nic and Bea treated us to a cooked English breakfast before we got ourselves looking suave. Nic drove us to the chapel Grandpa and Jo attend for a service in honour of their marriage. We arrived in style, in his immaculate JAGUAR. The service was short and sweet, quite ‘high church’ in style, fitting the very old setting of the church.

Back at Grandpa and Jo’s home a garden party and lunch was held to celebrate. We mingled, poured champagne and generally tried to be as charming as possible. We think we looked pretty good and did pretty well. We did get a bit sunburnt though. In the evening Nic and Bea did a delicious barbeque, but with Eliza virtually falling asleep at the table we didn’t have the stamina for much of a late night so we hit the sack pretty early.

David’s Great Country Drive

Our last night with Harriet and Dom passed and we left early after a quick last minute visit with Eliza’s Aunt and Uncle. We had had such a nice time with all of them and Eliza got a bit teary after we got on the road. We really hope they all come out to Australia soon. We headed to Chichester and passed the hospital where I was born. The ancient city walls and huge cathedral were fascinating enough to cheer us up and I was especially looking forward to the next stop – seeing my Dad’s side of the family. My Auntie Di made us a lovely lunch which we had in the garden while enjoying the scorching weather. My cousins, Summer, Matt, Isaac, Harrison and Olivia have all grown so much. Auntie Jo and Nan were also happy to see us and share a glass of Aussie wine while we caught up.

From there we continued our long trip through the southern English countryside. It is so hot and green, with fields of wheat, barley and masses of elderflower. We really enjoyed it until we got caught in traffic just down the road from our next destination, my grandfather’s house. When we finally got there it was a relief to get out of the car and be welcomed with a cold beer. It was great to catch up with Ed, my Uncle Rob and Sandy, Grandpa and Jo and Laurent. After dinner on the terrace and lots more beer and wine we stayed the night with Grandpa’s dear friends, Nic and Bea, who live in an amazing 350 year old thatched cottage and made us feel very welcome.

Mealing Day

Harriet and Dom suggested we start the day with a ‘greasy spoon’ – a British term for a fry up at a little café type shop. There was the usual eggs and bacon, ‘brown sauce’, and David had chips with baked beans for authenticity – I went a step further and had some black pudding and ‘bubble and squeak’! I wasn’t as keen on the black pudding but the bubble and squeak was good – mashed potato with little bits of vegetables, herbs and cabbage in it. We also checked out the very stony seaside.


We went to buy some flowers and then headed off to Bolney for a day with my Great Aunt and second cousins on my Dad’s side. They were absolutely the sweetest people. We were made to feel very welcome and shown around their homes which were oh-so-very English and had incredible gardens just bursting with flowers. We went for a walk through the fields, past a cute little primary school and through the very historical cemetery. I took some photos of Mealing graves for Dad, who is especially keen on family history. Harriet and Dom were especially taken with the church which has had many generations of family members christened and wedded there.
Cousin Linda put on a great spread for lunch and we hung around and chatted a bit afterwards. Aunt Jean is in her 80’s and sharp as a tack with great wit. Val is a very sweet lady who grows every kind of vegetable in her garden and makes sweet elderflower tea.


We took some photos together and then Harriet, Dom, David and I headed off to another brilliant pub called the George and Dragon. The restaurant was just beautiful. We met Harriet’s parents, My Uncle John and Aunt Tina who hadn’t seen me since I was a baby and they treated us to a gorgeous dinner.
I was taken aback by the family resemblance in John and my Dad – they are very, very clearly brothers. He also had a similar sense of humour! I really liked him. Tina and I got on like a house on fire. I thought she was really sweet and funny. After dinner we went for drinks at the b&b where they were staying and had a couple more photos together. It was so nice to get together and meet them. They are now talking about making a trip to Australia and I really hope they do. The next pub meal is on us!