In the driver's seat!

Well that was exciting - My first drive here this trip! At least it's on the same side of the road and the car was an auto and I had Waze to guide me and I knew a bit of the countryside after being driven around for a bit and Waze spoke to me in kilometers while the car had miles so all that made it much easier than the last times. 

The times with a blunt map and no navigator and no phone at all. The times where my co pilot went into a panic because she couldn't see any speed signs so thought we might be speeding, I winged it keeping to the average speed. The times when the Stonehenge sign made me pull in despite my co pilots protests we'd be late for the football - well worth it. The time I was meeting a friend, took a wrong turn and ended up in Essex or Sussex not Wessex or some such name - dinner happened a bit later that evening. The time I got to Saffron Walden after many traffic jams and missing the odd exit only to find I had neither my friend's address or a phone to call her on and getting her number required the internet. The bloke at the pub didn't know my friend personally, thought I'd ask just in case, but let me find and call the number so I could get instructions. And that's just a few from my UK adventures!

Suffice to say, today was a breeze and I'm looking forward to more car adventures. I plan to buy a cheap and cheerful one soon, in the mean time I have a loaner. It's been an interesting time here with the Queen leaving us. The drive past Windsor on Monday was interesting with people lining the roads and a huge traffic jam. We didn't venture too close and found the jam was caused by the Queen's motorcade needing the exits and nearby roads closed. There was no traffic on the other side of the motorway, odd I thought. Next minute there was a roar of motorbikes and fast black SUVs and a car looking suspiciously like a hearse. They raced off quickly then just as quickly the traffic cleared and we were on our way to the very local pub with friends to watch the proceedings on TV, glass in hand.

This weekend I'm finally getting to London! I'm just a bit excited because I love exploring and there's plenty I haven't seen plus other favourite places. Like Borough Market. Photos and stories will follow. 

For now, it's off to celebrate a new car with one of the selection of amazing gins the pubs have here. And matching tonics. My gin friends know I'm not big on tonic - I've been converted here. A lovely rhubarb and ginger gin with a clementine tonic is on the menu. 

An aerial view of Windsor

Somerset adventures

 The last time I went to Wells it was a freezing January day and the cathedral looked forbidding. I also didn't have much time to explore so getting to go back on a warm September day was a treat. Driving from Bristol through the Cheddar Gorge was amazing. Such an interesting landscape carved through rolling Somerset countryside. The road is fun, narrow and winding with lots of blind corners. There are plans for a whole weekend there exploring, school holidays were not the best time to stop. 

I love exploring the history of this place. I've read Pillars of the Earth, that huge book about the building of a cathedral, a few times over the years and visiting similar places brings back the stories. The lives of generations of stonemasons and builders so entwined in the history, their skilled craft on show, and how they managed to make such magnificent structures with rudimentary tools. Wells Cathedral is one of those special places where the whispers of history are in every corner. The Bishops Palace next to the Cathedral is a peaceful spot with a moat surrounding gardens, ruins and buildings. 

Onwards from Wells after exploring the area, we arrived at a very special place, Nunney. It's hard to describe Nunney except to say I'd love to live in one of those picturesque cottages with gorgeous gardens beside the stream, near the ancient bridge, overlooking the Norman castle. Yes, the Norman castle. Having learned more about my family history, I have a smattering of Norman ancestry on my father's side so Norman history is suddenly interesting. After a wander over the moat and through the ruins, a Somerset cider at the local pub was needed. Another place to return for a longer visit. Stonehenge was on the way home so I click a quick pic through the window. It didn't look too bad with a filter. 

This week has been one to catch up on pieces I'm needing to get completed. With the Queen passing there is an air of subdued sadness and all conversations are royals related. A time of grief and new beginnings and many stories of how the Queen has impacted people's lives. I was talking to a young friend about how he might see a queen and two kings in his lifetime. Being 23, his comment was he may see three kings. Extraordinary to think most of us have only known Queen Elizabeth, what history she has reigned through. I was at Windsor the day before she passed and it was very quiet, not so now. 

Bishops Palace Wells

Inside Nunney Castle - Couldn't resist the dog

Nunney Castle and moat

Moat action - Majestic swans and their babies

A distant Stonehenge

Time to say goodbye.....

What time to be in the UK with her Majesty the Queen passing and a country united in sadness, as it was united in joy during her 70th Jubilee. A great lady who will be missed. The news is full of stories about her and I'm learning so much I didn't know. 

One gem was when she pranked some tourists wandering on the pathways near Balmoral. They had quite a conversation about the queen with the queen and her close protection officer played along. I can imagine their surprise when someone identifies the elderly lady in the selfie they took with her. 

I wonder what these next days of official mourning and commemorations will bring. I suspect our weekend plans for a trip to London will be on hold for now. My condolences to her family. 

I have arrived

Well so much for writing on the plane! I was totally exhausted by the time I sat in that seat - physically and emotionally. Leaving is never easy, leaving those precious grandies after spending almost 9 years nearby is the hardest. Those final things to get organised took more time than I thought they would - experience tells me they always do, optimism has me believing it will be different this time. Nope. 

Long story short, I'm here! Where exactly? Farnborough in Hampshire. It's great to have a base I can come and go from, revisit places I love, and explore those places only the locals know. Like the local pub where everyone knows your name, Windsor and Wells, and some hidden gems like Nunney, Waverley Abbey and Portishead. And here I was thinking it's just a band I've always enjoyed. It's also a gorgeous spot to wander along the waterfront and canal and enjoy the best Italian food at Aqua. 

I've always been fascinated with the tidal range in different parts of the world. Portishead has the second largest range in the world according to one of the information boards, up to15 metres at high tide. Having watched the tide sweep in at Mont Saint Michel, I can imagine how fierce the tide is at Portishead. 

Next stop was the Clifton suspension bridge, an amazing feat of engineering by Brunel bridging the Avon Gorge. Clifton is a treat of a place, high on a hill with views across the countryside and the Bristol Channel. Terraced houses tumbling down steep streets. The ancient history of the area is visible  as I stood within the iron age Clifton Camp hillfort. Descending into the caves in the hillside was a treat with minerals colouring the rocks to the side. It was a squeeze even for me but the view from the platform over the gorge was worth the steps.  

The photos are only phone ones. My big camera will get and outing soon. And more stories will follow. 

Portishead Marina

Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge from Clifton Camp