Interregnum - England Stops!

22 July 2013

Stop Press: England stops whilst waiting for Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, to give birth to her baby, whom Alex fully expects will be called "Gaga" in an attempt to modernise the naming of royal babies.

We will keep you posted.

Alex has declined to go to London where Julie and Sian have gone to Oxford Street to shop for underwear, and instead is riveted in front of the TV waiting for the Royal Baby. Alex is available for godfatherly duties, as he is quite experienced. (Sorry Sian!)

And to top it off, it's going to be 34 degrees Celsius here today!

12:17pm ... Still Waiting! Alex is off to see the Cutty Sark, as his attention span has waned. He is even more glad he did not go to London, every press person is there to see the arrival of the Third In Line to the Throne.

12:24pm ... Still Nothing!

7:23pm ... Still Nothing, but the hottest day since 2006!

4:24pm ... A BONNY BABBY BOY apparently. And it has started raining in London. LONG MAY HE REIGN!!!

Day 5 - A Norfolk Ramble

13 July 2013

We woke up nicely refreshed and had a great breakfast, but then again every breakfast you have on the road is a good one.

Breakfast at the George & Dragon.

As we were finalising our account, the proprietor told us that tonight (Saturday) was the Long Melton Annual Festival, and we would be missing out if we didn't stay. That didn't fool us one minute as we have all seen "The Wicker Man" and had no intention of sticking around to be served up as human sacrifices at a midsummer pagan festival.

Our first stop stop was Kersey, capital of the Syrette Kingdom. The Pretender to the Throne, Philip Hicks, had long ago cast out his daughter and thus cut the Syrette Clan adrift, who subsequently and through means roundabout ventured to Terra Australis.

The Lost Kingdom of Kersey; "The Splash", protecting the domain, in the centre.

Alex still couldn't work out the mysterious "P" button so parking the car on a slope was a poor idea, as it started to slip backwards, even when in reverse gear! Then ... a Top Gear Epiphany ... Alex pushed the magic "P" button and lo! the car was thusly parked safely!

We wandered through the town and past the dangerous moat, also known as "The Splash", which the local yeoman warned us was "slippery", a veiled warning if ever there was one! We kept a careful eye on him and his noble steed, a 4WD, which he was brushing down.

"Open the Door and Provide a Feast: the Rightful Heirs have Returned!"

The local Church revealed the grand headstone of Philip Hicks The Pretender, and of Mary East the Rightful Heir.

A Galling Photo: Hicks The Pretender pays off the Church.

After buying up all available Kersey merchandise from the "I Saw You Coming" stall at the Church (clearly still in the pay of The Pretender), we tootled on. We had spent a lovely summer's morning (around two hours) in Kersey.

The Church at Kersey, Sian pointing the way to the Rightful Heir's resting place.

Re-enactment of Lady East's Great Explusion from Kersey, which all blood kin must do.

The Stolen Lands, Reclaimed.

The road to Norfolk and Norwich was smooth an uneventful, the transit from Suffolk to Norfolk being less obviously signposted than we thought.

We were on a deadline: Owen's parents had booked lunch at the Earl's Arms in Heydon, just out of Norwich, and we had two hours to get there. It looked like the Meriva wasn't up to it, but then Google Maps reported 2 hours ... 1.5 ... 2 again ... 1 etc, Clearly it had no idea where Heydon was or how Alex was driving!

We manoeuvred through Norwich, a goodly sized town of around 1/2 million people, went past the "National Gas Museum" (which made us think of Mudchute again) and made it to the Earl's Arms pub about 15 minutes late. Not bad!

Owen's delighful parents, Kevin and Marguerite, greeted us and had already ordered for us, as the kitchen was closing at 2pm (and the pub was closing at 3). The meal was delicious (Alex had whole Dover Sole, first time ever, very simply cooked: lightly battered, buttered, and fried, quite a subtle flavour). The company was convivial, Owen's parents were a delight to meet and they clearly adore Sian and Owen.

Lunch with Kevin and Marguerite, Owen and Sian. Including one freeloader (no, not Alex).

We finished the meal, and visited Reepham, the main town, to pick up a tea cake before proceeding. Reepham is a small town and we had to park in the town square, which was actually a triangle, thus making it impossible to work ut how best to park. "Brownian Motion" springs to mind as a description!

We travelled a few miles to Foulsham, where Kevin and Marguerite live. This is a beautiful, renovated hall, open planned as in the Australian style. Kevin said that this was a difficult interior design concept for some of their acquaintances to comprehend!

The Abode of Kevin and Marguerite. Note the phone box in front of the house!

Foulsham burned down in 1770. In 1770!!!

We had tea cake and tea, and discussed furniture and music (Kevin is a fan of the US West Coast sound, which Alex also enjoys).

Julie and Alex decided to go for a country ramble, and were joined by Sian and Owen. As Sian, Owen, and Julie suffer from hayfever and/or asthma, we of course chose a path through a mown field, full of "gigantic cows" (as Sian called them). The path was not obvious as we had to hack our way through a nettle infestation to get back to Foulsham town centre.

Hayfever: Just Say "Ptooey"!

We dropped into the impressive church (being renovated) and Alex was aghast at the giant Hornby rail set in one corner. Now that's the way to get the congregation back!

We returned to Kevin's and Marguerite's home and Julie and Alex eventually decided to look for a place to stay for the night, as Owen and Sian were booked into Chez Howells.

So we two trekked back to Reepham (pronunciated "Reefam") to ask of the establishments in the market square there whether they had any rooms, but alas they had none. However the "customer service specialist" at the Old Brewery Hotel pointed us in the direction of a B&B nearby, Homerton House (if memory serves). As we pulled into it on the outskirts of Reepham, the owners jumped out of their chairs; they were having  a leisurely dinner. Apparently they thought we were a couple who had been recommended to them by the hotel in Reepham at 3pm that day. As it was now around 7pm we were sorry to disappoint them. Judy and Jeff (the B&B owners) checked with the hotel and decided to let the last available room to us, as they could wait no longer for the tentative bookees to arrive.

Settled with a room, we went back to Foulsham where we all had another nice meal with Kevin and Marguerite, at the Queen's Head pub one door away from them! Julie and Kevin discussed a mutual work colleague (the world really is a small place!) and Julie tried the cider, and found it to her liking.

A busy day, a full belly (collectively speaking), good company, and we were soon heading off for bed. Judy met Julie and Alex when they pulled into their B&B and the room at the back was settled into, a lovely quiet vista. We left the window open all night and the breeze was excellent.

It was a great honour to meet Owen's parents, he is a credit to them both.

Day 4 - Learner Driver!

12 July 2013

A Long Day's Journey to Long Melton.

The plan for today was for us to join Sian and Owen on a road trip to visit Owen's parents in Norforlk.

Even though Norfolk is only 2-3 hours out of London, we figured we might need an overnight stop at a B&B to avoid a rush. We were planning to leave London about 4pm.

So the day started with Julie booking a car from a website called rentalcars.com. It looked like a good deal with a Renault Megane 5 seater manual being booked for 3 days at a cost of about 60 pounds per day, including insurance. (Keyword: "looked".)

We then went for a leisurely breakfast at Costa's, home of the massimo coffee cup with two handles! We took a nice stroll through Greenwich Royal Naval College, now better known as the University of Greenwich, to get a feel for the broader Greenwich area.

We checked out of our Ibis hotel, which was functional and cheap - easy to recommend, especially with free daily wifi (simply meaning that you have to register for it each day, presumably to avoid use by patrons who have checked out). We took our cases to Sian's and Owen's flat and they helped lug our suitcases up three flights of stairs.

We spent a bit of time just chatting and reorganising baggage for the trip. As packing is only perfectly done in hindsight, we of course expected to forget a few crucial items. We did.

We left to catch the rail across to London East Airport (just beyond the Olympic Park) for the car pickup and had a couple of changes of train to get to the actual rental car provider, Europcar, whom we've used before. One station along the way was called "Mudchute" and we wondered what this was a euphemism for! Much merriment and jollity was had, probably indicating that we were getting delusional from the heat!

Passing Mudchute - I guess you had to be there!

We had some iced coffee at the airport and finally left to collect the car a few minutes later, closer to 5pm than 4pm. The car turned out not to be a Renault Megane after all (much to Alex's chagrin) but a Vauxhall Meriva. We took out extra insurance on the car (which Alex always does) and that raised the cost of the car to around 80 pounds per day. The usual upsell squeeze!

We received some basic instruction on how to get out of London East Airport (actually a hand drawn mud map with about 27 roundabouts on it). The goal was to get onto the M11 out of London and head east as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately the Meriva was a pretty average car to drive. Alex couldn't work out 1st and 2nd gear and stalled and bunny hopped like a beginner, at one stage conking the car out in the middle of a (thankfully non busy) roundabout. A quick detour into the Lyle & Tate Thames-side factory (actually a sugar refinery) to practice (which took Alex back around 35 years) and things had improved sufficiently enough for him to feel he might be able to get onto the road proper.

Once on the M11 the drive was okay but Sian was concerned that she could smell something overheating, possibly the engine or Alex's residual frustration at the car, which was persistently unforgiving of being in the wrong gear. A sportscar the Meriva is not! 

As there is no standard handbrake on the Meriva (just a mysterious button marked "P"), Alex couldn't be sure that he wasn't burning out the brakes but the car appeared to move smoothly enough, so this theory was discounted. Possibly it was all the over-revving whilst in the wrong gear.

We passed a tow-truck and Alex joked that the burnt out heap it was carrying was a Meriva; when we got closer, ironically it was!

The traffic on the M11 was as slow as treacle, which gave Alex an opportunity to master 1st and 2nd gear. However he was still unsure of the changeup to 3rd so when we went around a roundabout the car fairly zipped along. It was evident from the passenger noises that this was "rather a thrill".

We travelled along and stopped at a grand Services which sported a Waitrose! Julie bought a UK A-Z to help her navigate (not that she needs much help!) as the Meriva came without SatNav. Alex's Windows 8 Phone had the entire Nokia UK maps which could have been used but when you have a JPS (Julie Positionng System), you find you have no need of any other technology.

As we fairly zoomed along and around 7pm, Sian and Owen in the back seat used their iPad and were "teethering it" (as Sian insisted on calling it!) to their iPhones to get internet access so they could hunt for a place to stay for the night. As we passed through really quaint English towns (they are so incredibly pleasant and peaceful) near Braintree and Sudbury, we settled on a place called the George & Dragon B&B in Long Melton.

Sian and Owen booked the place online and we pulled into the town about 15 minutes later. Long Melton, true to its name, is a very long town - we thought at one point that we were passing out of it without having seen the B&B, but no! - more was to come. Sian with super sight spotted the place in the distance because of the Dragon motif, and we parked.

The receptionist did not have a record of our booking despite us having received a confirmation through the internet! It didn't take long for her to find the two rooms booked however. She asked if we wanted to stay in the main building (on the second floor) as there would be a disco starting soon and ending about 11:30pm. We said we didn't mind. In retrospect, a foolhardy decision ...

The Black Meriva - being given the evil eye by TP!

We moved straight into dinner as the kitchen was closing soon and it looked like we were going to have the restaurant to ourselves. It was a very nice feeling to sit down to a proper ale, secure in the knowledge of a comfotable bed at night after a long day's travel. Alex was relieved that finally he didn't have to drive.

Food at the George & Dragon - we won't hear a word against it!

Our brief hiatus was broken however by the proprietor asking if we could move table as they need to join the one we were at to another couple of tables, as a late booking for 12 had come in. End of tranquility we thought. Boy was it ever!

We ordered dinner and ate heartily (hmmm chips three days running), the 12 arrived and weren't too noisy. The disco started around 9pm and Owen and I had a good time trying to guess the music - which was initally and deceptively pretty good, eg The Cure, The Smiths, Street Life. Then ... Michael Jackson, Aerosmith ("Walk This Way") and the invasion  of the entire population of the town, around ooh 25 people or so! The youngest (excluding the DJ, whom Sian thought was around 13 years old) was about 40 or so, and most were already "well pepped" and jolly. The dancing was demonic, three of the ladies doing the same "wiggle bottom" dance to every song! This ain't London ...

We ate dessert outside (most of us were swungry - refer Day 3 blog for definition) and then moved inside for final drinks before hitting the hay around 11pm. However Owen thought the disco actually concluded around 1pm; he and Sian had a room located directly above the disco's sub woofer!

Julie's and Alex's room was quite peaceful, however there were stairs to the left as one entered their room which if taken at night could easily have proven fatal, being steeper than Gibraltar!

The View - ahhh, the disco has finished!

What a day. And oh, what a car!!! More travel tomorrow.

Day 3 - "When Shall We Three Meet Again?"

11 July 2013

We woke up with the expectation of visiting The Shard this afternoon and then having a nice pint or two over dinner with the Syrette Clan (represented by London, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide teams). Note the word "expectation"; it's important for later on.

We had a nice breakfast at Cafe Rouge (at the bottom of the Ibis building) which appeared to be staffed exclusively by Eastern Europeans (capitalised because Alex is also one). We ordered the "Full English" breakfast for both of us; with the vegetarian version including Quorn sausage for Alex. However coffee was frothy instant. This is a skill the British have yet to master.

We then walked to Sian's and Owen's place in Deptford High Street. A hot day, with the gentrified environment of Greenwich quickly becoming more urban and cosmopolitan as we got closer to Deptford. It was amazing to see to the street markets everywhere and life lived on the streets, not behind closed doors as in Oz.

We arrived to see Sian around 12 o'clock. She showed us around each "wing" of the abode, and we could see The Shard from their lounge window! She also showed us her dissertation on "The Uncanny" and we were really impressed with it - it was a well written, illustrated, and produced book and accompanying portfolio; a piece of mature conceptual analysis. Sian is now an accomplished artist, no longer just "little Sian"!

Sian showing Julie her honours thesis and portfolio.

(Owen was in Reading visiting relatives he hadn't seen in a year; as he and Sian are returning to make a life in Australia in September, family visits are becoming a priority.)

Sian told us about (1) the boa constrictor that had made its home in their flat and (2) the victorian cooking pan which imparted an unusual flavour to meals cooked in it. Ask her for the full details when you next see her!

We decided to grab lunch but before that went to Deptford Park looking for squirrels and of course saw none. The quiet park and church were a real surprise - as G K Chesterton wrote, it was one of those areas of London that is a surprisingly tranquil haven. As further evidence of this Julie spotted a collection of discarded handbags near a bin at the end of the park, not at all suspicious.

Deptford Park.

The lunch was at a local delicatessen where Alex managed to offend the very trendy chef by asking for a simple cheese and tomato baguette. Julie and Sian had some nice wraps, but Alex's "simple" lunch started exuding a brown liquid, which Sian divined was balsamic vinegar. Way too fancy for the Russian lad; a meal Alex called "Chef's Revenge".

Sian had to rush off to work about 3:40pm, so after seeing her off (just in time) we walked back home down Creek Street, a long walk. When we reached the hot hotel we caught a nanna & manna nap.

We were in contact with Lisa and Iain about visiting The Shard near London Bridge Station in the evening. However, Sian had already warned us that Greenpeace was protesting mining in the Arctic by sending a group of people to climb the exterior of The Shard, resulting in its closure. And sure enough this happened.

We changed plans and arranged to catch up for dinner with the Syrette Clan at Dean Swift's Pub in Gainsford Street. When we arrived at the train station prior to walking to the pub, we managed to see The Shard and the climbers and a hovering helicopter. Hundreds of people were craning their necks up to look, and quite a few had serious photography equipment ready to catch anything exciting. Gruesome!

The Shard.

Tower Bridge. Note crowd!!!

So we met up with Fiona and her sisters (all over here at the moment!) for dinner near Tower Bridge. It was a beautiful balmy evening, the food was excellent, and the company even more so. Fiona had a couple of extra people from Canberra, Monique and Phillip, at the table, and we were pleased to meet them. When travelling one always warms to fellow travellers, especially those from one's own country.

The table therefore was: Fiona, Lisa & Iain and the boys Michael & Harry, Monica, Julie & Alex, Monique and Phillip. Much talk was there of the difficulty of driving in London, of ales, and castles, and museums.

The Syrette Clan Annual Dinner - London 2013!

Despite having eaten stacks (again!), we all became "swungry", a term coined by Monica to mean "hungry for sweets" (irrespective of how much one has already eaten). The term was invented with Fiona not at the table, but when she arrived back at the table and asked if she was "swungry" she worked it out in an instant. That communal Syrette mind!

Monica was going travelling with Lisa and Iain to Oxford over the next few days, thence to Spain, so this was the last opportunity to catch up with her and hence the whole Syrette Clan. We're very glad we did.

We walked back to the train via the Thames, which was simply beautiful on a summer's evening, with not too many people milling about. Even the train ride home was pleasant; cool and not crowded.

Tower Bridge at night - stunning!

Tomorrow we're off driving to Norwich with Sian and Owen to visit Owen's parents. Here endeth the epistle for today!

Day 2 - Landing in London

10 July 2013

We landed safely in London! The 7 hour flight from Dubai was on a large Airbus 380 and was therefore much more comfortable. Alex was very happy to be in a big machine.

The relentless crying baby was a bit of a trial for most of the trip, however. Oh well, no use grumbling, we're travelling and not in first class. In fact on the Airbus 380 we riff-raff never see first and business class customers, they're in the top storey of the plane!

Alex read an early Hammond Innes novel, "Wreckers Must Breathe" which was about a secret German submarine base off the coast of Cornwall during WWII. And of course he was sitting next to a couple of Germans ... "Don't mention the war."

We were met at London airport by the Queen and Prince Charles - Sian and her boyfriend Owen wearing masks! We then braved travelling a packed underground with three changes of train (we were so exhausted that it actually might have been three hundred changes of train) lugging our suitcases. Do you think we cared about the baggage? - no sirree!

Our hotel was the Ibis at Greenwich, which would do for a couple of nights, after which Julie had planned a road trip out of London with Sian and Owen to visit Owen's parents in Norwich.

Julie at the Ibis.

Greenwich is where all time is measured from! So Alex is looking forward to visiting Greenwich Observatory to see if he can time travel.

View from our hotel room at the Ibis. This is The Mitre, a posh pub to which the gentry retired during WWII (presumably as it was away from main bombing targets).

After we settled in, we met with Sian and Owen and had a great fish and chips and real ale dinner in a cosy English pub called the Gipsy Moth, right next to the Cutty Sark, which was sitting mounted above ground. (We can't tell you about the ship yet as we haven't done the obligatory tour.)

The Cutty Sark, whose saling days are clearly over!

The weather - HOOOOTTTTT! In fact very muggy. As a consequence the brits were fairly skimpily dressed. Obligatory wear for barmaids is very short denim shorts with torn bottoms (the denims, not the barmaids!). London is definitely a young person's town!

And finally ... sleeeep in a real bed. With the window open - no air conditioning!

Day 1 - Travel to Dubai and London

09-10 July 2013

We landed in Dubai safely after a terribly uncomfortable 12 hour flight. Only cucumbers could sit in those seats! Boeing 777 - bah!

A weird thing about the flight ... Somehow you can use a mobile phone whilst in flight! Assuming you can squeeze the phone out of your pocket once you sit down of course!!

Oh well, we're on the way. Dubai Airport is lovely. But it's not as huge as we thought - there are several levels but not all of them seem to be occupied.

In the terminal we asked for directions to the next leg of our flight and the cute customer service lady said "Terminal A3 ... Wait, I will show you." She stepped back from the counter, stood to attention, bent her right arm from the elbow so it was perpendicular to her body, and then simply said "That way." No such thing as finger pointing (or indeed customer service) here! ... 

We went for a few walks to get some exercise before the next 7 hour leg of the flight. The travel seems interminable!

The airport is very different, Alex was looking for a restroom and meandered over to where it had "Male" and "Female", but these turned out to be little in-airport segregated mosques (prayer rooms)! Very different and therefore fun. We're looking forward to our two day stopover here on the  way back.

Prices for food seem pretty good, the UED is about 3:1 to the AUD and a muffin and coffee cost around AUD$10, very comparable. This was at Starbucks, which looked to have a pretty dominant presence here.

Frappuccino at Starbucks, Dubai Airport for someone called "Elex" ... "Anyone here called Elex?"

Alex finds a like minded friend (note camel in background)! Which looks more chocolatey???

Day 0 - The Leaving of Adelaide

09 July 2013

Well this was a busy day! Of course we had months to plan our trip to London but Alex left a few things to the last minute - like visiting Aunty Anya in hospital, arranging the correct Australia Post Cash Passport Travel Card(s) (we want a word with you Dennis, once we get back!), packing etc.

Welcome to Australia, the "She'll be right, mate" country.

We're very happy to be visiting London to see our niece Sian graduate from University of the Arts London. There's not much else on the agenda except to catch up with Fiona and the Travelling Syrette Clan from Canberra and Melbourne (Lisa and Iain, Michael and Harry, and Monica).

Anyway we made it onto the Emirates flight okay, after our taxi driver picked us up. It was a little disconcerting that (1) he asked where we were going and (2) he was very interested in our house. Oh well the house is insured, we think!

The plane was a Boeing 777. Not an Airbus 380. Alex was somewhat disappointed! That's putting it mildly!