airplane dinner

what can i say?

well, the mashed potato is nice.

in general i dislike antipasto. this lot does have some nice fresh beans on top.

dessert could be used as a foundation stone.

my seat slips off upright, will not stay upright. so i had to move seats for takeoff.amongst noisy coughers.

away from deb:-(

I still have no idea how to flush the aiplane toilet.

nor how to call a hostie.

still, we do have legroom. and a wall that i rest my feet against. theres a footrest but its beyond me.

im impressed by debs neck pillow, very comfy. 

So i buy one for me. its useless. i think its really a cushion for piles.

Ill be glad to be home.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

heathrow

we are at the airport. in terminal 3.

we can see a departures notice board. our flight qf10 will get a gate in another five minutes.

Deb has read that the requirement to arrive three hours early has a reason. its so that we can spend a lot of time buying things. it has worked for us.

dont worry kids, we already have the tea towels.

aha. gate 3... go to gate.

we go.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

an awful day

today we leave Sevenoaks. so far so good.

Our last breakfast at the Dorrington, cooked English, delicious.

We pack up and leave. Easy.

The GPS shows an hour and ten to the next hotel. We have plenty of time.

Here's our plan: Drive straight to the next (and final) hotel. Leave our bags at the hotel. Then drop off the hire car.

Unencumbered, get back to the hotel. Check in. Relax.

It's a good plan.

Deb misses a turn, we have to circle a roundabout and go back five km. Well, that's what Deb tells me, I don't notice the backtrack.

Nearly all of the drive is on a motorway, the M25. Google maps shows a lot of the M25 as red, congested.

Yes, it is congested.

Traffic still moves along. Lane changes are a challenge, not many gaps between cars. Not to worry, Deb does well.

But it's slow.

after an hour or two, we take a break in a services area.

We share a Krispy creme thing. Deb rather likes it. It's a disgustingly sweet bit of sticky fluff. We also share a very weak coffee.

Mostly, we are stopped for the toilets. So many of them! There's a wall with perhaps twenty urinals. Deb reports plenty of stalls. crowded but clean.

Just as well we stopped. The motorway is still very slow -- and we need to watch signs, to make sure we get to Heathrow. Not a time when we want a driver needing a toilet.

The car GPS gets us to the airport, then I take over navigation, the car does not know the hotel. Watching Google maps on my phone and telling Deb where to go.

Occasionally holding up my phone so that Deb can see a tricky bit.

Deb can't watch the phone all the time, she has to watch the road.

The car speaks directions but not clearly enough for this area.

Surprisingly... we get right to the door of the hotel.

Well, it's a door, no reception in sight.

We unload the bags. I stand with them and send Deb inside to find reception. No use me going in, I'd probably not find reception. Or not find the car again.

A few days ago we parked the car at a, walked to b and back to village a,I could not have found the car.

When I walk I have to look very carefully as i walk away, or i will get lost coming back. that's why i get lost in toilets, i can't recognise the door that i came in by. Bit of a nuisance, really :-)

It's an awful drive but we do find the hotel...

Heathrow, Hilton, Garden Inn.

Instead of an hour ten, the drive had taken two hours twenty. But we have made it :-)

we're still early for a3pm check in -- but our room is ready.

we are checked in.

We take our bags to our room.

With great difficulty.

I claim some glory, I'm the one to spot why the lift will not work, we have to wave our electronic key at a security thing.

And now, we are in our room!

For just five minutes. then we go downstairs again. We have to return the car.

According to google, it's a five minute drive. Perhaps. We don't have an exact address to car return.

After a few minutes getting nowhere,

Deb phones budget, they provide a six character code that gets us, with only a little difficulty, to the car return.

I'm not sure if the code is from Google or more general. it's unique to a location but not as exact as an address.

it works.

we return the car.

Our plan was, we could walk back to the hotel. it's not far. We have no luggage to carry.

Google shows... no way to walk.

there's a shuttle bus back to terminal 3. the driver takes us a little bit further, to within sight of our hotel.

Now, back to our room. phew!

Tomorrow, we depart from T3. I chose this hotel because it is "at T3" So, tomorrow, we are as good as there.

Not.

Rather than relax, we decide to find the way from hotel to T3. And get some lunch.

Deb goes to the front desk to get directions.

Twenty minutes later, we return to the front desk and ask for directions.

The way to T3 leads through carparks. along travelators. up lifts, down escalators, vice versa, along many corridors.

All amongst hordes of other people.

I have learnt to hate the sound of people rushing by while dragging a suitcase with its noisy little wheels.

But... at least we are not carrying luggage while we scout the way.

From hotel to T3 flight check in point takes us 45 minutes. This from a hotel which is "at T3".

Anyway. We eat, we drink, we go back... going back still takes 25 minutes.

Tomorrow we will allow at least an hour to get to T3.

We've had enough. We buy extra sandwiches. We eat them in our room and that is dinner.

.

my mobile phone has roaming, so i can use it overseas. probably expensive but so is a holiday.

i don't use my phone for much.

navigation while driving and some geocaching.

Deb buys a month of uk Sim, so her phone works here. mostly used for allTrails walks. the Sim expires tomorrow, good timing.

For most purposes, we use hotel wifi.

one hotel wifi has one of those complex passwords that are the height of security.

several passwords are simple, based on the hotel name.

one password is 12345678

several are unsecured, no password.

every hotel provides free wifi. most are as fast as we need.

And if we are away from the hotel, and desperate, we use my phone.

Tomorrow, we start for home.

We leave from T3... LHR, arrived at T3... PER... fifteen minutes earlier, but the next day.

Today is awful -- for the driver. Okay for the passenger.

neither of us enjoy the search for T3

now, we relax.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

a taste of water

we pick up a glass of water to drink with dinner (pizza, btw).

Restaurant water may be freshened by lemon, or mint, or... here, it's cucumber water.

nice, too.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

over engineered

Here's a clever idea. The shower includes a recess for stacking soap and shampoo and such.

Soap, shampoo and lotion, when provided by the hotel, tend to come in similar containers, I always have trouble telling them apart.

Well, this recess -- has lights! What a good idea.

Of course my problem is that I never wear my reading glasses in the shower. Extra light is no help, I still can't tell shampoo from conditioner. Still, the light is a good idea:-)

In the main room there's a wardrobe. With a light inside! Am I worried that I will reach for my red coat and pull out my blue coat? (though to be honest I don't have any coat. Still you know what I mean.)

So there's a light in the wardrobe. where's the switch? there's no switch. Does it turn on when I open the door?

Too simple:-)

The light comes on when I reach into the wardrobe. Wow.

Travel used to involve remembering to bring a power plug adaptor. Now we bring a USB port. Better yet... several of our hotels provide built in USB ports, very nice. Pity that technology now includes two completely different types of USB plug.

Did I mention that the car has *both*types of USB port, one of each. So we can recharge while we drive. Which works with my phone.Not so well with my tablet.

We juggle devices recharging in our room. Oh, the technology.

.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

dunton green

It seems that we are in dunton Green, Kent. I know that because the met Bureau app tells me. It also tells me the temperature forecast for the next few days: 14, 15, 16, 17. The forecasters are not really trying, are they. At least they do vary between sunny and cloudy.

The North Downs Way passes close to the hotel. Today we follow it.

It's a pleasant walk, mostly between hedges and farmland. Past crops of barley, maybe, and broad beans.

Towards the end we walk next to busy roads.Until we reach the village of Otford. Where traffic is horrendous.

The centre of the village is a pond, fed by a fresh water spring. Around the pond is a traffic roundabout. There is barely a break in the traffic.

We look at the remains of The Bishops Palace, Henry VIII and A-Bs of Canterbury spent Christmas here, them and 3000 hangers-on.

Not much left now, though even the ruin is impressive.

The village church, one of three, is ancient. The whole village is full of centuries of history.

Unfortunately it is also full of people and cars. Very very unpleasant.

Theres a geocache behind the village hall, I discourage Deb from even looking. Im relieved when we start walking home and leave the village.

The walk home is peaceful, pleasant. Were home on time for lunch, at the same pub as yesterday, its close by the hotel.

Tye hotel has a restaurant, probably good. We have breakfast there.

Breakfast is included, so we do.

The restaurant shows Tudor origins. The ceiling beams are above my head but low enough that I want to duck.

I tap the large horizontal timbers and some wall timbers and some walls. It all looks Tudor but some sounds hollow, modern veneer?

At the last hotel we can see everything in the bain maries and I eat a lot.

Here there are closed lids.I cant see the food and I just cant be bothered looking for it.Stupid really but it means that I dont want to eat much. So I dont.

The ceiling crowds me, the table feels crowded, good food but not much fun.

Back home now, resting.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Sunday to Sevenoaks

A peaceful day today.

Breakfast at the Birch, check out, drive to Sevenoaks. No stops, no detours.

Most of the drive is on motorways. lots of cars but free flowing. It seems quite easy. Of course I'm not driving.

At the end of the day, Deb is tired. Enough driving, she says.

The last bit, in town, is tricky but the gps guides us. More on that later.

We arrive.

Donnington Manor Hotel is a "pristinely presented Tudor property".

I'm worried about low ceilings and lugging luggage up narrow and winding staircases.

In fact... this is the most modern hotel so far.

Deb tells me that the outside is Tudor,I didn't notice.

Inside, is a flash modern hotel. Nice, too.

We seem to have reached the limit of Asians in England, this is where they all work. Well, here and closer to London, presumably. Of the dozen people we've dealt with so far, eleven are Asian. Indian? whatever.

The gardens have nice lawns. Plus elephant statues, a Buddha, some abstract sculpture.

All very nice. But not the Tudor that I am expecting.

we arrive at 1230, check-in is 3pm.

We sit in the bar, drink coffee, watch people in the garden. Till our room is ready.

We move in.

Walk a few hundred metres to the Rose and Crown pub. Eat a hearty lunch, planning to get sandwiches for dinner.

The rest of three afternoon we sit in our room and do very little.

oh yes, gps navigation.

The car has a gps. Deb sets it and follows it to town. That gps does not have hotels. Or Deb hasn't found them. So I use Google maps on my phone.

Most of the way I simply agree with the car gps. Then we reach the edge of town and I take over the role of speaking gps. It works.

I owe an apology to the car gps.

It, she, insists on pronouncing Lewes as lew-es. That is, almost Lewis, with the second e of Lewes clearly pronounced.

We hear it a lot, we often drive along Lewes road. It annoys me.

Then we chat with a Newick local, who calls it lew-es. As the car says it.

oh well, live and learn :-)

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Sunday

Last hours of the last day in HH.

Deb has done a brilliant job of filling in the days. Very nice gardens and walks. All close by.

Now we're half packed. Ready to leave within the hour.

Deb has a travel criteria: only go to countries with a modern health system. Something to do with me...

So Africa is out. So is Asia, I don't want acupuncture:-)

Though I've now passed through expecting to drop dead any day to, not today anyway.

Totally unplanned, there is a large hospital across the road from this hotel.

One day we walk through that hospital. Looking for a chemist or a cafe.

The hospital atmosphere is very familiar. Busy staff, various people waiting to become patients. Only one ambulance waiting outside.

To make us even more comfortable, we walk past a sign pointing to... MRI. Just what I (may) need. But not this time.

I still like the Birch Hotel.

It's comfortable. Our room is large enough.

It's a terrible location for access, surrounded by busy roads. But in easy reach of a lot of nice places.

I also like breakfast: Included. hot or cold, for me it's not and cold. No need to decide if it's worth buying breakfast, just eat it.

Once Deb has explained the taps for me, it's a good shower. With shower cap provided, so Deb is happy.

We notice that all the staff are English. Too far from cities and too expensive for the Asian migrants in most of the city service jobs.

Not that being English helps me understand what they are saying. Crazy accents that these foreigners have:-)

Oh, okay, and I'm going deaf.

All good but time to move on.

I can feel home calling to me... not long now.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

The bus from France

The Newick village Hall is booked. A bus load of people are coming for the day from the twinned village in France.

Food and general jollity at the hall, then...

At lunch, we order quickly, to avoid the rush. The pub is expecting a group of 26 for lunch. No sign of the group.

On tonight's news: major delays and traffic holdups at Dover. due to a "glitch" in the French passport checking system.

Oh dear. I think that Deb has worked out what happened to the expected lunch crowd.

What a bummer :-(

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Fletching

We walk from Newick to Fletching. Along public footpaths through field and nature.

Yes, we then need to walk back again...

Total distance a bit over six km.

At Fletching we stop for drinks at the Griffin Inn.

Its a Gastropub. we take our drinks to the beer garden out back,

Theres seating, tables. A covered eating area. A grill/barbecue area, just being started up, chefs preparing, wood going on the fire.

Theres a beautiful view.Quite a distant view, out over a hedge and fields, to trees and distance.

Its Saturday. Every table is reserved.

We finish our drinks and walk back to Newick.

Where we have lunch.

In the Bull on the Green pub.

We both have lamb chop, very tasty. The lamb may have been very large but its chops are tender.

Its an old pub. Exposed roof beams, I have to mind my head.

Im well prepared... after our walk, my shirt is dripping with sweat.

So I change into the dry shirt that I have carried :-)

For dessert we share a chocolate fudge brownie. Yum.

After lunch we look for a geocache.

Its in or near a small wooden -- restored -- building. It looks like a bus stop. Its an old pump house, with lever action pump inside, no longer pumping.

No sign of the cache. If its outside, too bad, the hut is surrounded by growth. Brambles and, probably, nettles.

All this green stuff is unfamiliar. We recognise brambles, blackberries. Possibly nettles. Other stuff could be anything.

We admire the flowers. bluebells, buttercups, wood anemone, other unknowns but we try to avoid touching it. We follow paths.

Theres a church in... Newick I think, or maybe Fletching... Anyway, I read about it in Wikipedia. It was built in 12th century.Something added in 13th, something else in 14th, maybe something later. Just from the outside we can see old, older and oldest stonework. Still in use, a sign at the gate gives the name and email for the current priest.

Back to the hotel. We post the cards.

Dinner is in our room, sandwiches that we bought at our lunch pub.

We have to sign that yes, we were talking away the sandwiches. It was, I guess, because the sandwiches are in a plastic takeaway container... limiting one-use containers strictly to takeaways.

And that, I think, is all. For Saturday. Our last day based in Haywards Heath.

.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

village to village

After a hearty breakfast we drive to Newick. There's parking behind the village Hall. I say, We can park here.

We pull in and...a man tells us that parking is not allowed. He's quite nice about it. The Hall is booked for noon, a busload of people arriving from the French town twinned with Newick.

Oh well. We move the car and park on a side street called... Cricket Pitch. I wonder what used to happen there :-?

We're looking for a footpath from Newick to Fletching.

We park and walk to nearby shops.

First, we buy postage stamps. Weeks ago I bought a couple of postcards for grandchildren. Finally I addressed them, Today I post them.

The PO man seems to know nothing about postage! But he sells us stamps, we hope they are okay. We expect that we'll be home before the cards.

Next we need to find the start of the walk. We're in a pharmacy. There's a man standing under a sign saying, Prescriptions, Advice. His advice is good, we find the path.

The path starts narrow, between walls of weeds and brambles.

Then ploughed fields, fields with crops just starting, fields with sheep... and lambs. Feeding, sleeping, standing. One farmer seems to specialise in black lambs. One lamb sees us and trots to mum. mum ignores us.

There's a small patch of woods either side of a river..A Boardwalk across.

A bit later we're on a sealed but minor road, over a bridge,the river is larger, a couple of metres across, perhaps one deep.

There are some nice houses. One is called Mill House, they have a robot lawnmower puttering back and forth across the lawn. I'm fascinated :-)

One house has a dock on the river. Very nice, unless you have little children.

For some reason that reminds me... In England, dogs are allowed nearly everywhere. Parks, pubs, restaurants.

One garden does have dog free areas, near ponds. They also provide sort of large shepherds crooks. My guess is, the hooks are to rescue dogs which are foolish enough to leap in the water.

And so we walk.

On a farm, I think we've found a piece of modern art, there may be a photo in a separate post. Turns out, the art installation is... an old piece of farm machinery.

We finally reach Fletching. I'll post this and continue in a separate post...

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

modern art? near newick

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Friday Nyman

Today we visit Nyman Garden. It's my favourite garden so far:-)

We're in England... it's time for me to have a breakfast kipper.

My kipper comes with poached eggs. It's very nice but I must say, it's a challenge to eat.

I think you're meant to peel out the spine and a lot of the ribs come with it. My kipper is just hacked apart. Not very elegant at all. I get enough for a meal but there's room for improvement.

The main thing is -- I'm in England and have had a kipper for breakfast.

We follow the gps to Nyman. The first few miles are in and out and round about. Small roads and roundabouts.

Then the road goes straight -- and we are here. We park -- and go for a walk.

We're in the village of Handcroft. The walk starts along a busy road. We wonder why this is a defined walk. Then we turn off into woods.

It's either Nyman Woods or Brockman Woods, depending on whether you look at signs or a map.

It's a small woodland on the edge of the village. The trail starts on a track beside fields, with sheep and lambs. Then into the woods. A pleasant walk in the woods. With a couple of sculptures, no explanation.

A couple of km and we're back at the car, back at the entrance to the gardens. Time for coffee and cake.

We stand in the queue.I hget hot and bothered, sit down, leave Deb to stand in the queue.

Next stop is the toilets... very confusing. A corridor with four doors. I have trouble deciding if the icon is a male or female. There are so many female, have I missed the male?

phew, found it. Use it. Getting out... there are three doors, all exactly the same, which one did I come in from? Not the first time I've been lost inside a toilet.

Daylight! I'm out. We set off around the gardens.

These are definitely my favourite gardens. I find that they are... accessible. I can't quite explain it. The gardens just seem to be... gardens that I could live with.

Whatever it is...I like it.

The gardens are set, as usual, in a large estate, newer than most,19th century. The gardens surround the house, which is partly ruined.

All these English gardens have taken so long to establish. They seem so absolutely ancient. And yet... This garden makes me think.

The house was built in 1890. the next owner rebuilt it as a mediaeval mansion. then it burnt down in 1930. Was largely rebuilt. Three generations worked on the gardens.

The last of the family returned to the house after her second husband died. She lived there. Sold it, moved to a house in the village, died

... By various means the house went to the National Trust.

All that time and effort and... the family is gone.

Seems sad, really.

We drive to home...

Stop for a late but hearty lunch at the first pub we pass, the Jolly Tanner

oh, jumping back...

We once have coffee in a cafe with a good sign: No, we don't have wifi. Feel free to talk to each other.

If I think I've missed something, I'll put it in whenever i think of it :-)

If I think of anything more about today... I'll get back later.

.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Sheffield Thursday

After a relaxed breakfast we drive to Sheffield Gardens, it's not far.

Deb has an allTrails walk that starts in the carpark.

We walk through a gate, into a field. Through a small herd of cows. They ignore us.

there's lush green grass, cows foot prints from when the ground was muddy. A faint trail and occasional marker posts. We're following the blue trail.

It's an "official" trail, allTrails lets Deb know when we wander off course.

Up a gentle hill. down again to the river Ouse. Here, the river channel is a couple of metres deep, the water less than a metre.

Signs tell us that the occasional shallow ditches are Neolithic diggings. Fish traps, perhaps.

Work has been done on the modern river to make it flow better.

There are decorative wooden... things... standing like posts, we're not sure what they mean. Probably not Neolithic.

Both allTrails and the blue trail are blocked by padlocked gates. New owner of some fields, we guess. No worries, Deb guides us on a detour, we rejoin the track a bit later.

There's a sign to SkyGlade. We can see a clear area surrounded by a dozen large wooden posts. No explanation of its significance. I guess, weird women dancing naked under the full moon.

We don't get to the glade, it's the other side of a fence and brambles.

We walk on. It's very peaceful, just us. There's a distant camp ground, no people in sight. Not even more cows in sight. Just a few birds. Lovely:-)

Through a gate, and we are back in the Gardens. The trail was outside, in farmland, edged with trees.

We find a geocache! Our second this holiday.

We're not really trying. I occasionally check the app, see if there's a nearby cache.

This one showed up from 700m away. we're unfamiliar with the country and, for earlier possibilities, unfamiliar with streets and bushes and such. It's hard to know how to approach a distant cache.

But this one is by a pond. And here is a large pond :-) I get us close, Deb finds the cache. Woohoo :-)

Now we're back at the carpark. And near the Gatehouse Cafe.

After nearly six km we feel we have earned a cream sponge and iced coffee.

We've walked through farms. What about the Gardens?

We pay our money and go into Sheffield Gardens.

These Gardens are, of course, old... all the Gardens are old.

There are sweet Chestnut trees 400 years old. Massive redwoods, rhododendrons with a forest of tangled trunks.

There are several large ponds. water lilies are just starting to show flowers, the water lilies are a feature of the Gardens, we're just a month too early.

These Gardens are less formal than others.

There's a lot of mention-- in this and other Gardens -- of destruction caused by the storms of 1987. A lot of trees were damaged or destroyed.

We walk in the Gardens, around the ponds. Admire lilies and ducks. Then back to the cafe.

We eat a late and light lunch. Buy sandwiches for a later dinner. And drive home.

phew!

Oh yes. This week is the Chelsea Flower Show. No way we will go to London to see it.

But no worries... we see it each night on the BBC.

We avoid the crowds of the major events. It's still quite exciting to be close and to see them live or almost live each night on TV.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

technot genius

I manage the taps and have a shower. Okay, Deb sets it up for me. All I have to do is turn one tap, the on off, one of three.I manage :-)

My credit card stops working. At its limit, I reason.

I finally find the bank app on my phone! Deb expects me to throw the phone across the room but, I manage to transfer money and get my card working again. clever eh?

I download an area of maps to my phone. It still will not find our hotel. no connection, it says. but I have roaming?!

Look, my phone is in airplane mode...

I remember switching that off. but... it's a tap on tap off switch. I probably just tapped it... on.

Now I can navigate. And use the bank app. Not just with the hotel wifi.

Amazing:-)

We spend some time deciding where to go over the next few days. Why on earth did I book so many nights here? Really, I lost it when planning this holiday.

Oh well. There's plenty to see and do. And... no rush to do it :-)

And it's a nice hotel.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

battle of Hastings

Today we visit Battle.

Named for the Battle of Hastings. 1066 and all that.

But wait... didn't the B off H take place at Hastings? Maybe not. I may have to read a bit.

Anyway...

We have breakfast in the hotel. It's not and cold help yourself, a good way to start a day.

We arrive in the town of Battle. It's easy to get into a parking area. It's quite full, we end up near the back but no worries. Except that Deb has to walk a long way to get a parking ticket.

Then we walk to the central attraction of Battle: Battle Abbey.

There's a solid stone entry, nothing much else still standing. The Abbey was finally knocked down when the King changed religion. Some of the outbuildings are still in good repair and being used as a school, they look old and impressive but are not open for visitors.

William the Conqueror promised to build an Abbey of he won the battle Mind you, it also took orders from the Pope before he started building.

The main interest for our visit is a walk around the actual field of battle. There are information boards at key points, on a walk around the field.

Plus wood statues of participants. Foot soldiers, Knights, archers. With weapons and some background info.

We walk, read, imagine how awful it would have been.

It's fascinating.

There are still some massive walls and restored rooms... Lots and lots of solid stone.

I take a photo of the monks toilet but, well, there's nothing much left standing.

Back to the visitor Centre, With a brief movie. More statues. Recreated weapons and armour, we can touch and lift, and realise just how heavy it is.

Wherever we go, there's a school group. Kids maybe ten or twelve. Noisy, having fun, adding to our enjoyment... as long as we keep clear of them :-)

We have a snack in the cafe. Then back to town, for lunch in Bonneys Bistro, on High St, off the town square. First place we see, really.

We both have "rump steak flatbread" which turns out to be sliced steak with rocket and various... condiments. Sitting on flatbread. Delicious. Open sandwich, really. I have to keep my focus while eating, or it will be all over the place:-)

There's a co-op next door. We buy a few things.

And drive home.

.

--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

wakehurst at Ardingly

we drive in, out and around. Narrow streets, sharp corners, parked cars almost blocking the road... following Maps to wakehurst Gardens. Our hotel is on the edge of town, we have to negotiate the edges to get clear.

We have two Maps, Google and the GPS in the car. Mostly, they agree.

For a while, the car is telling us to turn round and go back. We ignore it. Until we reach a roundabout, we circle and go back.

Then... the car realises that I have plugged my tablet in to recharge. Do I want to connect? it asks, there is no option for No. No way to load the necessary app either.

We try to get the car back to navigation. It insists on playing music, the radio. No navigation.

We arrive at the Gardens. Plenty of parking.

It only takes a few minutes to turn the radio off, we hope the nav will eventually come back.

The Gardens are, of course, enormous.

They began as a private garden. The Elizabethan mansion is still there, now used as offices.

Over the years, the mansion has changed. I find it interesting that at one stage it was four wings with a central courtyard. One owner demolished three of the wings... they must have wanted a serious change of lifestyle.

The are water gardens, Meadows with buttercups. Rock gardens, formal and woodland, sections with all plants from one country. Lots of lawn areas. The grass here is so soft! With little flowers is it, which are not weeds.

We stroll for nearly six km. The best is the woodland. Pity we dont know the names of the trees, luckily some are labelled.

We are excited to see a pheasant! then we see more and more of them. The colourful males and the dowdy females.

Deb, and others, worry about a lone duckling. Is it okay?We hope its parents find it.

We finally reach the restaurant. This is where the crowds congregate. In the gardens, there are very few people. That we see, anyway, there could be people on other paths, out of sight.

I take photos and... realise that not many people are taking photos. Yes, these gardens are a tourist destination but... its also a local park for a lot of people. I dont bring my camera to bold park near home.

The main feature of these gardens is the seed bank. They store seeds from plants from all over the world. So the plants will not go extinct. These gardens are an offshoot of londons Kew gardens, away from londons pollution (and risk of flooding apparently).

Seeds are gathered. Then cleaned and dried, except for "recalcitrant" types of seed which would die if dried.

If they arrive in fruit, the fruit is ripened so the seeds can mature.

A sample is xrayed to make sure the batch of seeds is not damaged. Then that sample is germinated... to make sure that the xrays did not damage dna. its a complex process, to make sure that they have a good batch of seeds.

Which are then frozen, if its a sed that can be frozen, and stored. Ready for a post apocalyse replanting.

I seem to remember that there is another seed bank in a very cold country where freezing is easier.

its all amazing, and fascinating. just one thing being done to protect nature. from us, mostly.

We have lunch of "jacket potatoes", we would call them stuffed spuds. Seems to be the common food, equivalent to our meat pies.

And we drive home. it seems simpler to return... until the last hundred metres. The hotel driveway is hard to spot. We miss it and have some tricky driving to get back.

We make it back. Go to our room. And stop.

we eat dinner in our room, sandwiches we bought at the gardens. Thats it. enough for one day!

Oh, except that i decide its time to link gps watch to tablet. deb transfers her gps trace online via her tablet. i have the same model gps, would like to save my trace.

of course i fail.

i dont know why i try, i cant even work the technology of the shower taps.

and that. is it. the end :-)

Except that i now remember:

deb did not want to be in london. so no visit to kew gardens.

I find that wakehurst is an offshoot of kew... good enough.

So my planning includes

wakehurst. at ardingly. which is less than ten km from haywards heath,

which leads me to birch hotel

so thats at least part of why we are here.

and i must say : for no particular reason, i do like this hotel :-)

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

why here?

We check out of the Huntsman.

It's a couple of hours driving to Haywards Heath. Mostly on Axx roads, with some motorway Quite easy but nowhere to stop. Drive, drive, drive... with occasional holdups at busy intersections. Even roundabouts can get jammed.

We look for somewhere to pause. Nothing. There are probably villages with pubs or cafes off to the side. Google is not much help, not unless we want to take its suggestion and follow to wherever it takes us. It worked better in the days when I drove and Deb had a large scale road map.

But... eventually... Deb spots a pub and pulls in, off the highway.

We're at the White Swan Free House, I have no idea where.

We park. Walk in. say, toilets and coffee please.

We also have a shared some, just a snack. With enough clotted cream even for me. Delicious.

Refreshed, we drive on.

Road signs point variously to London, Brighton, Worthington and finally Haywards Heath.

My phone must have reached the limit of my downloaded map, it won't navigate. Not to worry. We reach the town and Deb sees a sign to our hotel. We pull in and check in.

The Birch Hotel. 1870 according to a sign on the side. It's quite nice, a comfortable room, largish but nothing special.

It's time for a late lunch. We cross a very busy road. Walk beside a very busy road. Find a co op and buy sandwiches. Which we take back and eat in our room.

And relax. Except for Deb, who washes some clothes in the bath.

I decide to have a shower, and fail. I can fill the bath or I can have a scalding hot shower. I settle for the bath.

We have dinner in the hotel bistro. The crowd seems to be young, male, professional. This town is a dormitory suburb for Gatwick which, I guess, means for London and Europe.

Back in our room, we wonder what to do for the days of our stay. All the interesting places seem to be at least an hour's drive away. Too far to consider after today's long drive.

So why did I chose this place?!

My original plan was to stay in one place for a week and see all the local sights. Then go by train to another place, for another week.

HH is a single train trip from LHR, so a good place to start.

Then we rented a car, planned a completely different holiday... but I never changed HH.

Well, I did try. I looked for a self catering place between here and the coast. But... it was all to expensive, too big, too fixed in available dates... too difficult.

Really, I failed in my planning :-(

The hotel is good, for a hotel, but the location is terrible.

We may do more driving than we would like.

Or a lot of walking in woods:-)

Oh well. let's see how we go tomorrow, after a good night's sleep.

Let's finish with a success story:

A couple of holidays ago I bought a camera. Since then, phone cameras have become better than my little camera. Except... , my camera has a viewfinder, so I can see what will be in a photo.

My camera has a battery which lasts less than a day of heavy use. So... back home, I buy a spare battery and a spare charger. When the battery goes flat-- in less than a minute I amclicking again.

That bit of minor success, really pleases me:-)

proofreading

I'm doing more and more swype typing. I find some really weird mistakes.

If anything makes no sense... it's either the swype keyboard. Or I'm channeling James Joyce ...

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Sunday

We have, as usual, a hotel breakfast. Our plan is to have a hotel lunch then a walk in the forest.

Well, first is morning tea in the village. Then back home for a rest. Till noon. We're booked in for the hotel's Sunday roast.

We both choose the half size plate (suitable for children 5 to 12:-) I can't finish my large lump of roast pork.

Our first dinner here was... pretentious. Breakfasts and this lunch are real food.

After lunch we drive to bolderwood Deer Sanctuary. It's a government thing, free, so that's a nice change.

We park and walk. A couple of km along Forest trails, it's all very peaceful and pleasant. The trail is well signed. Deb also follows AllTrails, which makes navigation even easier.

There's a "Deer platform" near the start but... half way round we see some deer. For or five, doing what deer do. Which is nothing much, not while we're watching, anyway.

Yes it's a sanctuary but the deer are wild within the sanctuary. seeing these deer is, to me, far more exciting than the caged deer the other day. Well worth the visit to the sanctuary :-)

The forest is... well, what can I say, it's full of trees. Beautiful, really. Some large trees but not a great variety of larger sizes. It was replanted several decades ago.

The road inn and out, for two miles, is narrow, with maybe a20cm drop off the bitumen. When we pass another car, Deb has to be careful of the edge. There's a lot of passing on the way in, less on the way out. But enough that Deb has to concentrate. She does not really enjoy it.

To sweeten the day... there is a Mr Whippy at the carpark.

And that drive is through very nice forest.

On the drive, road signs pointing to Southampton. If only, we think, if only we knew someone we could visit, now we are so close to Southampton... (family reference).

Back in the hotel... we had bought sandwiches, which we eat in our room for dinner.

The BBC will live broadcast Glastonbury festival. Of only we were here in June, we are quite close. No... Glastonbury would be fun, but too crowded for us. Deb reads about the festival. About allowing several hours just to get back on the roads to drive home. And, interesting, the farm has nowhere to recharge an electric car. Something to think about for 24 hour rogaines.

End of another touring but enjoyable day :-)

Tipping.

We pay nearly everything by credit card. My credit card, usually. Mine is quick to grab from my pocket. Also, it has a lower limit, so less risk of we lose it, or whatever.

Anyway, after morning tea, I wave my card. The woman says, just follow the prompts. I'll need to get my glasses, I say. She says, don't worry and presses a button. I tap my card on the machine.

Later I realise that if I could see the screen, it would be asking for a tip.

When the request is obvious, I will tip. Otherwise, not.

Tipping is an offshoot of the master-slave relationship. Kiss my boots or I will not pay you.

We already pay the hotel, cafe, whatever. If they do not pay their staff then the staff are slaves. If I tip then I am supporting an employer which underpays its staff.

And if the service is terrible then I will not return.

That's my view. I am anti tipping.

Sometimes I wonder if a helpful employee is just angling for a tip. the doubt makes me embarrassed. Which annoys me.

If it's added to the bill, I can accept it. Otherwise, I do not, or prefer to not, tip. Smile, say thank you, avoid eye contact (wave the white stick:-) and walk away.

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

exbury

Dinner is very disappointing. Not to worry, it's partly because I'm not very hungry.

After breakfast we drive to Exbury Gardens. They are huge!

My impression is, it's a woodland garden. Not flower beds but flowering trees and shrubs. Rhododendrons, azaleas, well, those are the only names I know. Plus lots of non flowering trees.

We have a special soft spot for rhododendrons. On our first visit to England, just married, it was always, it's a bit early for rhododendrons... This time, we get it right:-)

We walk round exbury. It's enormous. We big as Kings park, i guess. But with lots of separate sections. We walk maybe six km, it seems more. Enjoying it all.

One section is the river walk, on the edge of the Beaulieu River. It's a tidal estuary with space for some rather large boats. With a dog or two splashing in the shallow edge.

There are families walking round. Not a great place for kids, we think, yesterday's animals would be better.

The gardens are very popular. We pass a snack bar and a cafe, we pass, the queues are too long. We're tired. Driving home seems to be a good idea.

We think we can find lunch on the way home. Not as easy as we hoped.

We pass by... Beaulieu. It's a national motor museum. I catch a glimpse of a large showroom full of shiny cars. Neither of us is interested in stopping.

A bit later, Deb spots and pulls in to Daisy's farm cafe. it's delightful. A garden centre and cafe.

We each have a cheese scone... I call it a plough boys lunch. Like a ploughman's, cheese, chutney, butter, pickle but cheese scone instead of bread.

Followed by a shared Victoria sponge. with butter cream filling.

Today is Saturday, so Deb uses web and phone to book for dinner near home. Then... to home.

The Inn carpark is full, again. We park nearby then come out later to move the car, back into the more secure hotel carpark.

Dinner at the Snakehandler. Chips are very ordinary. Deb's burger is good. My fish pie had been, I suspect, heated then reheated. Okay, I'm still not hungry after the scone. And it's food. Disappointing though.

Those with delicate sensibilities should stop reading here.

My case was packed in a hurry. Today, i finally find a fresh shirt. I celebrate by wearing clean shirt, socks and underpants. Except for today's walk in the Gardens. Why wear a clean shirt when I'll just be walking? in the open.

Now I have a week worn shirt which will definitely be washed. If we have a laundry in the next hotel...

Deb's favourite garden so far :-)

End of day. Phew.

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Friday dinner

Inn dinner is too flash, so we walk to the foresters Arms. It feels like...a real pub. Noisy. Almost full. We get the last table. Another old building, with exposed beams. New and clean but still showing signs that the building is old.

We each have relatively simple pub food. Deb follows with icecream. I finish with... golden syrup sponge pudding. With plenty of real... yellow... custard:-) Yum!

On the way home we buy a point of milk, the room comes with little bits of long life stuff.

We walk home at 7:30. It's still light. And warm. And fine again. Excellent weather!

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

rain, finally

We drive to the New Forest Wildlife Park.

It's a small zoo, with the emphasis on local wildlife.

It's small but we still manage to walk 2.3km.

There are various owls. Eagle, burrowing, common barn. Even a couple off snowy owls, a la Harry Potter.

Best animals are the otters. Who knew there were so many varieties! This zoo had three or four types.

There's a talk by a keeper. She knows all the otters and is dedicated to otters in general...a knowledgeable fanatic, a very interesting speaker.

She doesn't like the thought that otters are trapped and killed or kept as pets. She says that the ones doing clever cute things for youtube are Asian small clawed, very clever at "manual" manipulation.

I think these are the type that used to be in Perth zoo.

We move on to the deer. Small roe deer, large fallow deer, largest red deer. The red stags are growing this year's antlers, much more solid than I imagined. They are definitely solid enough to use for fighting. We usually see multi prongs and don't notice that the base is quite thick.

There are some wallabies, looking cold. There are some feral Wallabies established in England. So far they are not a problem.

Wolves! my favourites. They howled as we were leaving:-) Poor things, not fed every day.

A couple of European bison. Some bison have been rewilded into Poland.

Several wild boar, no sign of Obelix.

We finish with sandwiches in the Forest Cafe. Then drive home to relax. It's finally starting to rain, a very light drizzle.

The Inn is humming, packed with people taking hours over a very long lunch. Deb parks the car but it's in an awkward spot. We return, a few times, till the crowd had left. Deb moves the car to a better spot.

The rain now is barely spitting.

Now we wait till it's time for dinner.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

New Forest walk

After breakfast. Deb has a map of walks near Brockenhurst. She plans a walk.

We start from The Huntsman. Walk to the village centre. Luckily Deb knows the way, I don't.

Our first stop is The buttery, the cafe.

We have tea, coffee and the very English Bakewell tart. Now strengthened, we walk on.

Past two donkeys... New Forest donkeys of course... just standing there, on the footpath. There are occasional hoofprints and lots of droppings to show where they roam.

Apparently donkeys and ponies regularly wander in and out of the Forest. That explains the garden fences. And the cattle grids on roads and driveways. And the signs saying, this is a donkey proof bin, please take your rubbish home with you.

During the day, we see several groups of donkeys on the streets of the village.

We are soon out of the village, onto common land, open grassland.

On the commons we see lots of ponies. The famous New Forest ponies :-) and a few cattle. None are worried by our passing.

Our walk takes us past an allotment. Quite a large area. Not looking well cared for, though that may be due, somehow, to the time of year. Garden seasons are a mystery to me.

There are some campgrounds. Deb chats with a couple from Brighton who are camping, with their two dogs. I say hello to one of the dogs.

We follow a path into the Forest itself. Lots of trees but, here, quite open. A group of a dozen ponies. Several cyclists, some walkers.

There's a bridge with a sign, unsafe for horses, use the ford. Water at the ford is deep but not deep for a horse, i guess.

As usual, Deb follows the map and i follow Deb.

Not that I would ever say anything against Deb but, when she is lost, she walks faster and faster, and gets very snappy.

Deb walks faster and faster and gets very snappy. I keep very quiet. Except for commenting that I'm sure Deb will find the way. I refrain from saying, Well at least we're lost together.

Of course Deb does lead us back to the village. She's a good navigator.

It's lunchtime, we have grilled salmon in The Terrace cafe. Essentially it's the first lunch place that we find. We're hungry!

We stop at a bakery to buy salad rolls for tonight's dinner. I look longingly at eclairs stuffed with real cream, Deb won't buy one:-(

and that's our day. We walk back to the Inn and do nothing much for the evening. We walked almost 8km. Nice and flat. With animals to entertain us.

Despite a forecast of 70% chance of some rain, it's fine.

In fact the backs of myhands, where i have no melanin, are noticeably sunburnt.

As I tell Deb, it's always fine weather on our holidays :-)

Except, she reminds me, when it rains.

So far, this is yet another fine holiday :-)

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

after breakfast

Just back from breakfast and feeling better about this hotel.

Breakfast is proper food and very nice.

One thing about this village...

We're in Brockenhurst. Which is in Hampshire. I know that because the local weather app says so.

The hotel shower is complex, Deb has to explain how it works. I still finish with an unexpected burst of cold water.

Oh yes, one thing...

This village strikes me as a place where real people actually live. People wander by, doing day to day things. Hard to explain... Not a tourist town, not a place to shop, but a place to live and walk and chat. And walk the dog, lots of dogs passing by :-)

.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

going upmarket

morning. we leave jolly lodge.

Another good choice, says Deb. I'm pleased. i like positive feedback :-)

It's an almost two hour drive, mostly along the A31 or A35? Whatever, an easy road. Through, forest, fields, towns. A surprising amount of traffic but no delays.

Half way, we need a break. I search Maps for a cafe on our route. There's one on a "minor detour". Or we can read the sign by the road, Gingerbread cafe quarter mile. It's a permanent food truck in a lay-by. Offering local-beef burgers, wild boar patties (how wild?) and other slightly fancy food. We have coffee -- instant or fresh brewed? and a snack bar.

Easy parking, food, drink, toilet... sorry, WC, small picnic area with seats and tables. All very nice. Despite the traffic roaring past.

On to Brockenhurst, where we are far too early to check in. 

I'm worried. Our hotel is very much a pub.Nice. but... a pub. What will the room be like?

We walk to the village centre, which takes some finding.

The main road is a very busy through road. There's a train station. Plus all the usual village stuff, as far as we can tell.

We stop for lunch at The Buttery, a very nice cafe.

We're not sure how big it will be so we share one "Yorkshire". A very large, and delicious, yorkshire pudding. Filled with two sausages, cauliflower cheese, onion gravy. Amazing. followed by rhubarb and orange crumble Orange?! seems to work :-)

We check into our hotel. The Huntsman.

Our room is... not too bad. Ground floor, off a small garden courtyard. With access to the car without traipsing through the hotel. I'm reassured.

The room is comfortable. Not large but not crowded. I'm impressed, easily impressed :-) by the thick towelling bathrobes. We rest... I sleep for a few hours. Deb did all the driving but I'm tired.

We eat dinner in the hotel. I don't like it. It's up itself.

Deb has oven-baked English camembert. ie a whole cam. melted, with toast and chutney. Tastes nice but is far too rich.

I have pork and black pudding sausage roll with chutney. Nice but, it's just a sausage roll. And not very much of it.

The hotel is 13th century, modernised Thoroughly covered up. Our room has a massive feiling beam. Apart from that, the hotel seems quite new... all the history has been covered up. All very nice, but... not interesting.

And the cups in our room are small. Pod coffee but too small. We're used to more room space and big-enough cups.

Ah well. It's easy access from room to village and car. No steep hill!

We have places to visit, walks to walk. I suspect we will eat out a lot. With very little interest in more meals at this hotel. The Buttery is far more our style :-) There will be others just as good.

.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

short walk

Deb has a new book, Dorset teashop walks. She's picked an interesting one from West Bay to birton Bradstock.

Somehow, the walk starts at Bridport...

We're not quite sure what happened. Best guess is that Bridport is a village on West Bay. Probably :-)

We start walking.

Up a  solid clay track, up a 45 degree hill.

I struggle. I watch where I place my feet, so I can't look up to see where I'm heading. Still, it's not far, I join Deb at the top.

The track continues along the top of the cliffs.

I'm never comfortable near cliffs. We're nowhere near the edge but...

Best I can understand of my own feeling is:

I don't see to my left. Yes I look side to side and know what's there. But. My "feeling" is that there is nothing, a gap, to my left If I wobble, put afoot crooked... I feel that I am on the edge of nothing. A gap, a drop.

Only a very mild feeling. But when it's not dead level, if it's up or down steps or slopes -- I'm just scared. I don't want to move. We're maybe half way.

Deb looks after me. Guides me directly away from the cliff edge. Across a wire fence. Onto a golf course.

We get a bit of abuse from a golf player. Yes, we know we should not be there. It upsets me but it's nothing to my relief at being away from the cliffs.

There's a public footpath through the golf course. Once we reach it, it's a short walk back to where we started. Bridport.

It's an interesting place.

Some old buildings, one is now a sort of shopping arcade with some old thick stone walls. There are some new places, looking like blocks of flats, probably holiday units.

The main feature of the village is that it seems to be wall to wall fish and chip shops. All round the stone-walled harbour. The smell is overwhelming and... delicious.

It's too early for lunch. We have iced coffee, walking and weather are very drying. We walk over a sandhill of small pebbles, to the beach. Then back to the car.

We drive... to the Hive  Beach Cafe. This should have been the half way point of the walk.

Our table is almost outside, we have a great view over beach and sea. We enjoy fish and chips.

It' a nice meal, a great location, but... it's a very commercial feel. Waiters, no, they are all waitresses, wear tee shirts with Crew in big letters. An employment sign is looking for workers to join the Team. The waitress asks, is everything okay -- and it's obviously part of her job description.

If we had walked in after a peaceful walk in the country it would have been a horrible contrast. As it is, it's quite nice.

We walk up a grassy hill. Deb goes a bit further to look at a brick structure. A local tells us that it is a lookout from WWII.

We like to spread our custom... try lots of different places, so we start to drive home -- keeping an eye open for a teashop.

We find the Packhorse cafe, garden shop, bar and knick knack shop. Where we have coffee and incredibly ... muddy... chocolate mud cake. Gluten free, possibly vegan, still delicious :-)

And so to home. Where we have our standard  bread and cheese dinner.

Poor Deb. Walked only two instead of six km. Next walks, we'll have to avoid hills and cliffs.

Last day in Jolly Lodge. It's been good :-)

Missed these: Today we see a wild rabbit, cute. A few days ago we watched a grey squirrel trot along a fence then up a tree.

The floor in Croft was parquet. Real blocks of pine. A handspan long, half tat wide, two inches deep. Old, slightly warped, some could be lifted out. Original style parquet.

There are lots of thatch roofs. With the more modern extra, chicken wire to hold it down.

And that's all. I think :-)

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

lyme to uplyme

we set off mid morning on a path from town to village.

it's the River Lim Walk.

Lim? or Lym? The walk is Lim, the River... seems to vary.

Anyway... Deb has track notes. We walk.

At the Lyme Regis end the walk starts at the town mill. it's been restored and even works, milling wheat and selling the flour. Not much, it's now a tourist mill. Which is not open till an hour after we start. Oh well. It would be interesting, but we're here to walk. So we walk.

The walk starts along lanes in the town. Then lanes and paths out of town. Still with houses, cottages... tourist accommodation on either side. Houses are built right to the edge of the river. In town the river is dug to two metres, lined with stone walls. Some houses have a small bridge from the back door --so people can walk out and get across the river.

The river is shallow, half a metre or so but fast flowing and looks powerful. I would not step in it!

We pass through some meadows but mostly, past people's back yards.

Some historic buildings. Another old mill (I've learnt what a leat is.) A cottage where a weaver used to work. A church and some associated buildings, probably flats now.

Through some woodland with "houses" to provide shelters for birds and insects.

It's a beautiful walk, very peaceful. always with the river on one side.

A bonus: we walk upriver with the river on my left. I can always hear it bubbling along and sometimes see it.

Walking back down is completely different. The river on our right -- where I can see it! So I have a great --and different -- view of the river all the way back.

At the top of the walk is the village of... Uplyme. A sensible name, really.

The walk ends at a pub. Phew. Except... we arrive at 10:30 and the pub doesn't open till 11.

Oh well. We turn round and walk back.

We did know that we would have to walk back. We were hoping for lunch in the pub.

So we walk back.

Still a beautiful, peaceful walk. Popular with other people --and their dogs. Lots off nice dogs. With new river views for me:-)

It's a bit easier and faster walking downriver.

We're back in Lyme Regis on time for lunch.

We have what is essentially "English breakfast" at the Mill Bakery.

The walk starts in Dorset, goes into Devon, now we're back in Dorset. Such travelers we are :-)

The waitress offers sauce, not needed. She offers butter... yes please :-)

A butter dish with a good large block of butter. More than even I can eat with breakfast.

We walk round town. And for a while along the pebble beach. It's hard walking, as hard as on soft sand. It's a great English beach experience:-)

We look for one geocache. It's somewhere round the building, the Maritime Theatre. Somewhere... The phone gps jumps round, we never seem to get close. We give up.

Then we have tea. Well, coffee and cake, delicious Victoria sponge.

Then it's up the final steep hill back to home. Six and a half km. Time to do nothing else :-)  We relax.

In town, Deb buys a book, Dorset Teashop Walks. Tomorrow we try one of those walks.

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

no sea view

Today, Sun 14th we visit Fforde Abbey and Gardens. A C13 abbey, modernised and converted to A family home in the 1800s. Beautiful gardens, impressive house. Still a family home.

Theres a fountain, a straight up jet of water, twice a day. i wonder if river water is held in a tank, then the fountain is gravity flow. Its how i would do it :-)

The jet is massive, higher than nearby trees.

The gardens are blooming. There are some great big rhododendrum trees in full flower. Lots of other flowers.

Theres a bog garden, definitely boggy.

We eat in the cafe, weveral times. Cakes for morning and afternoon tea. Stuffed spuds for lunch -- spuds and salad are all from the gardens.

One cake is choc and cherry, black forest as it should be.

There are lots of narrow roads. Bnnnn etc. Im thinking, glad Deb is driving, this one is very narrow. Then two cars come from in front, to share the road.

Now we are home again,4pm. Lucky we have already seen the wea view, now it is mist. All the way up to mist blowing in the front garden.

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

building memories

chambers place is an old farm building. i picture it outside as red brick but.. i dont believe my memory. already it fades... that's why tonight i document it. before it all fades!

in chambers we are on top, up narrow stairs. past a door leading to whoever is on the ground floor. we never see them.

The inside is nice, modern, good quality.

croft cottage is old stone.

again, modern inside but not quite as flash as chambers.

my first impression of croft is, that the owner is a farmer who has done a lot of the work himself.

now jolly. i guess a recent purpose built holiday cottage. on the end of an existing building.

all three are excellent. well fitted out and up to date on the inside. clean, warm (well, can be stuffy by our standards) and comfortable.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
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If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

two dreams

one

I dream that i've wet myself. good grief :-(

i wake up very quickly. check... no, it's okay, i didn't. Scarily realistic memory though, i rush off to the toilet.

two

there are some dreams that i repeat. a few nights ago i dream that i'm starting at a uni college. i have to find my room and can't. i rush from room to room...

i interpret this as... uncertainty about where we are going. The dream is the night before we head to jolly lodge. i'm uncertain, is it any good, does it even exist? i can't find it on google maps. So i dream the can't find my room dream. Its a familiar dream. i wonder what inspired it the previous times.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
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If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Lyme Regis

Today we wander round town.

Start down the hill. Past the aged care home. Past the church and cemetery.

Across the busy road, i think it's a main road into town. Through the car park and down 101 steps... to the beach.

Beach? Sand on rocks. But it's a fossil beach.

Above the beach is a massive black cliff. The cliff has spent centuries collapsing onto the beach -- and dropping rocks containing fossils.

Feb spots a fossil! an ammonite. Amazing place.

we're on a walk which could go three km along the beach to another village. A walk which is underwater at high tide!

We're don't go very far, I'm not good with the head sized rocks underfoot.

We turn back to Lyme.

We reach the beach front. and the Cob.

All the English seaside stuff. A beach of pebbles half the size of my fist. Two people lying sunbathing on the pebbles.

A bit further and it's beach sand. A bit grey, but suitable for digging and sandcastles :-)

There are beach huts. We chat with a local.

The huts are rented for weeks or months... if you book a year ahead.

They come with maybe a chair or two. Then the user stocks them with, well, whatever is needed for many days by the beach. Rain or shine. Brilliant.

btw, today is sunny, perhaps twelve degrees. With a very cold wind blowing in off the sea.

There are plenty of shops fronting the beach. Holiday food offerings such as burgers and icecream. probably real food too, I'm not looking.

We walk across the pebbles to the sea wall, stone and massive.

With my back to the beach it reminds me  of... Beatty Park pool. It's a feeling as much as a sound, of people, families, having fun. A very enjoyable sound, relaxing, pleasant :-)

We stop for scones. With jam and clotted cream. Yum. Thick, rich clotted cream. And plenty of it. Thick as butter.

We wonder why clotted cream has never come to Australia.

We walk a short way uphill. To Langmorr and Lister Park. It stretches across the side of t the hill. Lots of grass, woods, mini golf, sea views. A couple of statues, points on an historic trail that goes through town.

We stroll through and back to town for lunch.

In a cafe. We have Devon pasties. Yes, we are in Devon.

Next stop is the town museum.

There are lots of fossils, of course. An ammonite 30 or 40cm across. So large that i check Wikipedia. Yes, they can be large. Up to 8m!

There are four or five floors.Full of history and more.

Mary Anning and her house of course. ( Read about her yourself :-)

I used to enjoy museums, a lot. I would stare and read everything. Then with age I needed reading glasses and it all became more difficult. Glasses on, glasses off, on, off... Now I just skim. And don't enjoy museums nearly as much.

Instead... I read eg Wikipedia. Reading glasses on.... and that's it.

So I have already read a lot about Mary Anning A real eye opener to how things were.

Anyway. Today Deb calls it a day after just two floors of the museum.

We are pretty tired.

So... up the final, steep, hill to home. And collapse. Nearly 7km walked... a lot of it uphill. Phew. But Deb has had enough of driving... till tomorrow.

We spend the evening picking Eurovision winners. When the results are announced I, as usual, will have forgotten who I liked. But we enjoy the show.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
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If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

to Lyme Regis

We pack up and leave Croft Cottage by ten o'clock.

It's a couple of hours to drive but no hurry, check in is mid afternoon.

A couple of hours on and I need to stop for a leak. On these busy roads? no way!

Deb spots the ideal place: a picnic area with grass, trees, toilets and a cafe. It's really quite a pleasant area.

The cafe is Cartgate Lodge Cafe. No idea where it is, other than, off the main road:-)

We enjoy our coffee and cake and... There are sculptures.

All sorts of metal things welded into shapes. A woman, a dog, a grandfather clock. Imagine an eagle with outstretched wings and each flight feather is...a knife. Brilliant, really.

Deb, driving, miss a turn. Instead of joining the M5 we drive along narrow roads and through small towns. Far more interesting. And the gps Guides is so we get here. Just along an interesting way rather than the shortest way.

The driving needs a bit more care but Deb is good:-)

We arrive at... wait for it... jolly Lodge sea views free parking.

Yes, there are sea views. From a holiday cabin. Very nice really. Smaller than the last places but larger than a hotel room. Self contained, self catering.

And oh joy-- nothing that threatens to hit my head.

Chambers has odd ceilings to fit under variously sloped roofs. Croft has a spiral staircase just outside our bedroom. Jolly is... rectangular... no odd bits. i can stop nervously ducking my head. Phew!

We settle in, then walk to town, for dinner and groceries. Well, lunch but it's late so we eat for dinner too. Hake in green sauce. Wild spinach sauce as we find out later.

At the Pilot Boat.

Very nice. Then an ice-cream on the way home. Deb of course chooses double choc ice-cream.

It's a step climb back to the Jolly. We get our daily exercise.

Interestingly, we measure the return journey, uphill, to be twice as fast as going out.

Our property is across the road from an aged care facility. Immediately downhill from that, is a church and... cemetery. Very convenient location for the aged people:-)

Deb has identified some places to visit and walk.

Lyme Regis is a seaside town for tourists. It's main claim to fame is fossils (and possibly fishing). There are also gardens and castles, I think.

Tomorrow, I'll find out.

The weather is fine and still good tomorrow. All good so far:-)

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

The word "boobs" is so scary until you get to the second "b". (Alfred E. Neumann

Jolly Lodge Sea View

Why did I select this place?

Because the rest of the name is Free Parking :-)

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

The word "boobs" is so scary until you get to the second "b". (Alfred E. Neumann