Pics. From SF

 

Ignore, or enjoy, the picture of Sheelagh’s late Mum. I don’t know how to delete it.

We are off to catch our ship. Next time from Hawaii.

SAN FRANCISCO

 We’re off to a rocky start. Our first port of call was cancelled due to rough seas. The ship left port at 6ish on Saturday.

This is my first try, so I will put pics on later. 

It was a rough trip but we’re fine.

Bobbing Our Way Down Under

 One week from tomorrow, Shush and I will stand in lines for a very long time and finally be allowed onto the Princess Line's Grand Princess. We will report after that if she is indeed, "Grand". On Sept. 23rd we pull out of Vancouver and 27 days later, fingers, and international dateline, crossed, we arrive in Sydney. 

The object of our adventure is to see our dear friends the Kemisters. For the last 25 ish years the K's and us have been meeting up around the world. This time it is Canberra. 

Sheelagh and I have never been on a boat, oh sorry purists, a ship, for 27 days. I have grave concerns for my already expanding girth. We may be weeping in a corner before we see the Opera House, but all will be revealed, in 27 days, YIKES!!!. 

We do hope that you drop in from time to time if only to see if we're still sane. Because we're very cheap, we will not be buying the outrageously priced on board internet, so there will be gaps. 

Anyway, speak again soon. Geo

The Last Post

 It's been a while, but the object of our quest has been monopolizing our time.

Sheelagh is very excited that we were here for his first report card. Dorian is highly amused that his Mum thinks of this as a report card. 

Laura hopes to get a part time job and so they are signing him into a nursery two days a week. 

We have loved being able to see Laura and Dorian's new home, Lochgilphead. It is a typical small, west Scottish village. 

We visited the village of Cirnan. The boats on the Lochs come and go through the locks. Ha!

And then the big day arrived. Liam and Janelle and Ngila and Beatrix drove from Heathrow and we all went to Tarbert and took our lovely rental for a week together. 

On the 15th Dorian will drive us to Glasgow, we take the train to Gatwick airport, and the next day, we will head for High River. 

So this will be our last post on this blog. Thanks to all who checked in and special thanks to Kathy for her comments. 

Till next time, George and Sheelagh say BYE BYE to you.

Lavenham

 During the last two months we have spent our days among old buildings. Big buildings, small buildings, churches and abbeys. Yesterday we visited one one the most consistently, "Old", villages we have seen. 

Lavenham is nestled in the hills of Suffolk. It is what is called a cloth town. Beginning in the 14th century the town became wealthy by selling wool.  The pinky/red colour, known as Suffolk pink, was made by mixing pig or ox blood with buttermilk. The yellow colour, by mixing yellow ochre with lime and linseed oil.

Most of the homes are half timbered. They are all, "Listed". This means that they can not be altered in ways that will change their outward appearance. 

Wandering the streets of Lavenham is like being in a Shakespearian play. It was a wonderful experience.

"Just So" and other stories

We have just had a wonderful week in Eastbourne. Sheelagh has had the opportunity of spending time with her cousin, Jan, and I had the fun of helping Brian do his gardening chores at different homes in the community. It was great. Sheelagh and I got our walking in by taking  afternoon strolls along the Eastbourne sea front. And, believe it or not, there is a tea shop at one end of the promenade and we didn't go there. We did, however, visit the Black Cat in the Meads. 

During the week we visited a craft sale held at Michelham Priory. Michelham was founded by Augustinian canons in 1229. It is situated on an island surrounded England's largest medieval water filled moat. 

The craft fair was held inside what was, "The great barn."

There were 40 acres of carefully tended gardens surrounding the lovely house which I apparently did not like enough to photograph.

On our last day in Eastbourne we decided to drive the 45 minutes across to Burwash to visit Bateman's, the 36 acre estate of Rudyard Kipling. Did you know that Mr Kipling was named after Lake Rudyard where his parents met? That is true. 

We encountered Rudyard on a bench and jested with him a bit.

He was born in India where his father was teaching ceramics at an art collage. When he was 5years old, little Rudyard was sent back to England. At school he was bullied because of his darker skin and as a result he became somewhat solitary and a writer. It appears to have worked out rather well if his estate, and Rolls-Royce are any indication.

 

The room shown above was the space to which the author would retreat each day to write. No-one was allowed on this floor of the house while he worked, I'm suggested a similar rule at our place when we get home. But Sheelagh wouldn't let me. She even laughed and called me a rude name.

The house, built in 1634, is beautiful if somewhat dark. By the door is a bell pull which came from the home of his uncle where he always went during the school holidays. It seems Rudyard always felt safe and happy there. When he heard the bell, it made him remember these warm feelings. Kipling is the youngest person to have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. With his prize money, he created a wonderful garden.

The National Trust is doing a fabulous job of keeping the gardens tended. The family lived in this home for over 20 years until Mr Kipling's death in 1936. 

Yesterday, dodging the rail strikes, we made our way through London to Felixstowe for a few days with our long time friends, Delyth and Malcolm. Golf and kindness await. Back soon. 

Hello to Eastbourne

 Eastbourne, Pearl of the south coast.

When we left Winchcombe, the trains were still running and we made it without incident.

We always enjoy coming here and feel very relaxed with Sheelagh's cousin, Jan and her husband, Brian. 

After our walks in the Cotswolds, it's fun to just stroll the front, admiring the carpet gardens

and walking on the pier.

   

 We are staying here until the 31th. Brian who retired from teaching 2 1/2 years ago is very busy. Word leaked out that he's a handy sort of chap and he has a lengthy list of folk who appreciate him caring for their gardens and fences and even pets from time to time. He also carves birds and presented us with a beautifully carved loon when we arrived.

Jan is a warm and welcoming hostess and always makes us feel at home here. It's wonderful be in Eastbourne.