England and her people treated us well indeed! That diet had to wait... But a quick sip of Chinese water will induce
the detox ;)
Having breathed in circulated farts, listening to yappy
teenage Quebecois, & been awake for 24 hours +, we were not the most
exciting guests to arrive in Weymouth.
But with a power nap & some good food, we were ready to roll. Some fresh air was next to get us
re-charged. Winding through the rolling
hills & along the creek we were able to see the old Church & its
ancient head stones, kiss at each ‘kissing gate’, & catch the sun set
behind us; a beautiful way to start the 2nd part of the journey. Energy burned equals better sleep... or not. At midnight our eyes opened simultaneously as
if they’d planned it... lame!
Quick interruption... just bit into a Twix Fino... It is
heaven (diets can wait a little longer).
Next day was spent out of town at Milton Abbas, an old town
of thatched roof labourer homes from the 1800’s. They’d restored all the buildings to maintain
the look & feel which was cool. A
visit with Ru, a long time friend of Ginny’s mother, was long overdue. Ru had painted us a beautiful sea scape for
our wedding. She had worked in a portrait
studio back in the day; Shot big names, even the Royal family. Britt had a lot to chat with Ru about, but
the visit had to come to an end. We’ll
be back soon to pick up where we left off.
A bit more adjusted to the time difference, we hit up the
Weymouth festival. Parachutes were
supposed to kick start the day, but we got there on time, which meant we missed
the guys by 10 minutes... Bring on the
Red Arrows to make up for it!! Ben was a
kid again... Front row seats, rubbing
his hands together, pacing... And now Britt sees why. They were awesome & very on time! Darting out from over the city &
disappearing out to sea. Synchronized
air shows, blasting up 10,000 ft in just seconds, and then dodging each other
by only a few meters. Wow. At times, their blue & red smoke trails
were the only way to tell they had been there at all. This show was the first with their new female
pilot which added much, much more. With
dark came classic fish n’ chips & a truly wonderful & original
fireworks show. Not a bad way to cap off
a great few days – Thanks Alan & Sheila.
It was time to head west to visit Ben’s dad’s side of the
family. Sally (Ben’s aunt) & Chris
(his cousin) opened their home to a couple of bum travellers J (Thanks for your room Chris!). Jem, Jenny, & Katie (Ben’s uncle, aunt,
& cousin) were also out for a visit – perfect timing! Queue the rain... What to do... Eat & drink sounds nice -
Some breaky, followed by dripping ice cream, & a pint down at the Blue
Anchor. Glad we stopped in when we
did. A pub with true British style. Included was a drunken local yokel, telling
crude jokes with pint in hand to sardine patrons, as if he were on a
podium. Great.
Granny’s 87th birthday was on Saturday, so
everyone piled into her room at the lodge for celebration. Ben’s uncle Des & auntie Ali, plus the
rest of the crew were there. Her room
was filled with cards & flowers, confirmation of what a lovely woman Granny
is. A wonderful afternoon.
Giles... Sounds English, & it is. He tends The Manor pub where Ben stayed a few
years back & they got on well.
Slapping each other in the guts with such force... It’s an endearing
thing. Giles offered to take us across
the river from his place to The Ferry Boat Inn, a pub on the waters’ edge with
live music & 5 foot ceiling beams. A
cool day that we’ll have to pay back if you ever get to Canada, Giles.
More rain, what to do...
Movie night. The Expendables...
We highly recommend it; it’s crap... But in a good way. Good for an unintentional laugh anyways.
We celebrated a semi-clear day with a walk from Paignton to
Goodrington along the coast; absolutely gorgeous. They call the area the English Riviera for a
reason. Every look-out point was a
postcard. With the warmer weather came
another chance for a day out, this time with Cayman Golf. The balls are light weight so you can whack
them good with a proper club & they won’t take off on you. Chris killed the score board with his
straight drives & weird trick shots.
Facebook, although it’s creepy, can be good for some things,
like reconnecting with old friends.
Jason & Tom, elementary school friends of Ben’s were in the
area. After 20 years they still got
along as they once did! Just with a few more beers and ciders.
Paul, Ben’s Step-dad, recommended we climb aboard a steam
train while in the area. We rode the
train like corny tourists & loved every minute of it. Crazy what a few toots from a steam train
horn can do to an adult! From the end of
the line we transferred to the ferry which runs down the River Dart to Totnes
where Chris works. The Waterman’s’ Arms
is a great pub on the creek out of town.
If you’re ever in the area, go check it out.
SUN! England decided
to grace us one day of pure sunshine.
And we took advantage with a picnic overlooking the viaduct &
Broadsands beach, followed by another beautiful walk along the coast back to
Brixham. If you think England is just
rain, rolling hills & beer, you’re dead wrong. It is gorgeous. Britt was passing around her shades, whose
slight tint added a bit more of a paradise look.
We needed one last visit with Granny before we had to make
tracks. It was a great afternoon spent
playing her ultimate game, Rummy, followed by an emotional goodbye. This next year we’ll brush up on our card
skills & be out again before you know it to have a re-match Granny.
Thanks to Granny, Ali & Des... Jem, Jenny, & Katie...
Sal, Chris, Deb & Ben... Alan & Sheila... Giles, Jason, & Tom, for
making our trip back to England one for the books. Can’t wait to get back. Don’t worry Sal, we’ll book at another
b&b... Right Jem & Jenny? ;)
Now sipping Chardonnay & premium Dutch Lager aboard a
massive hunk of flying metal, we’re off to China.
Much love to you all.
B&B
