Reflections

January still finds me in reflective mode…..we saw 2025 arrive and promptly started packing for our annual migration to the southern hemisphere. This time we flew from Gatwick to Capetown a new route by Norse Airlines. We were a bit nervous but I was pleasantly surprised and although we flew Premium Economy and had a delay on take off due to de icing the plane, it was pretty good. We are travelling back in March on a day flight which is a blessing as you board after a good nights sleep and spend the day flying and climb into your own bed that night!

So far we have had a five nights at the bustling waterfront, enjoying the blue skies, boats, views of Table Mountain and the evening reflections from the myriad of restaurants and eateries surrounding the water.  We enjoyed a sunset cruise and bobbed back into the harbour with views from the water showing the coloured lights of the shops and Christmas decor reflected and we ubered up to Bo Kaap where the Cape Malay community lived as freed slaves  in the 18th century painting their houses in bright colours as the continue to do today. I enjoy their style of cuisine a fruity, fragrant, spice fusion and we enjoyed art galleries, coffee and an able through the area. We also took a ride up to Groot Constanta Vineyard - one of the oldest in the region producing wine enjoyed by Napoleon and mentioned in Jane Austen’s novels. We went through the old homestead and then then enjoyed lunch at Simons restaurant in the vineyard gardens. The quality and presentation of food here is excellent and I’m going to have to up my activity if I’m to fit into anything to travel home in!

From Capetown we picked up our hire car and travelled to Franschoek - settled by the exiled French Huguenots in the 17 century - such a pretty town surrounded by mountains brimming with vines! Again heat,  blue skies, food, wine and lovely little boutique shops - not at all difficult to spend three days exploring them all. Our hotel was itself a historic building with thick walls, sash windows, high ceilings and beautiful furnished - we made friends here with some Scottish farmers on a golfing holiday and unbelievably a couple from the next town who have promised to keep in touch.

On to Hermanus and about 5C cooler on the coast - we were welcomed here like old friends as we have stayed at Ocean Views before - it’s perched on the cliff on the edge of the ocean and that sea breeze was welcome. Our favourite vineyard is here - called Creation Wines aptly so as it’s in the Hemel and Aarde Valley - which means Heaven and Earth. It’s a beautiful place, a tranquil haven full of art, simple fresh food, amazing wine - their Elation Cap Classique is delicious. We were a bit early for booking so we popped into another Vineyard La Vierge - the highest wine farm in the valley with sweeping views and lovely Pinot Noir! Although we just popped in, I ended up doing a sexy macaroon and wine pairing! The wines are named Original Sin, Seduction, Jezebel, The Affair and  Nymphonia and interestingly they play classical music in their barrel cellar 24 hours a a day to change the molecules in a harmonic way! So after tasting three wines and scoffing three macaroons I waddled into Creation to eat and drink more! There was a glass art exhibition on view here by Red Hot Glass among the vines by the restaurant glinting in the sun - it’s like a whole sensory experience beauty, taste, ambience, soft music and walking into the ladies is like a spa experience! Through the valley and back into out hotel - it was nil by mouth for me till breakfast and packing. We are heading to Gondwana and the big five! 

Reflecting on the vast diversity of this beautiful country ….. so disappointed that the promises made by the ruling party - The ANC - have seen tourism decline, created worse poverty, poorer education and minimal employment opportunities! It makes me so angry for the people who voted for democracy expecting prosperity and a better future for their children. I have to breathe deeply and let it go and the serenity prayer comes to mind 🇿🇦

Good bye 2024…23..22..21..Hello 2025

My annual tribute to New Years Eve......

I repost this each New Year to remind me of how time passes so quickly! We are about to say goodbye to 2024 and hello 2025 which hardly seems possible! This year again has been full of surprises - the biggest one being that I have remarried! I’m still in shock but adamant that nothing will change. Travel highlights for this year have come from a northerly direction with Scotland and Balmoral and Donegal in Ireland. My trip to the US fell later and I was there for a most spectacular fall and Halloween and because we are seldom here for Christmas, I went all out and had a very busy and enjoyable festive season which is about to come to a close as we prepare to leave for sunny shores. I hope it’s warmer and brighter when we return. Till the Happy New Year ….. time to remember!

It’s that day of the year when you either celebrate and look forward to what the New Year has in store or you sit and recollect what happened in the year that you are leaving behind. Whether you are looking into a crystal ball or in the rear view mirror – it’s all about reflection. Just like Bridgette Jones it’s about taking stock, tallying up the numbers in your life, doing a few calculations and deciding whether you are winning or not.

That probably explains why some years you will find me sitting at home in my slippers watching The Royal Variety Show and other years I will be putting my left leg in, my left leg out, doing the Hokey Cokey with a bunch of jolly strangers.

Traditionally New Year was a time for first footing, dark haired strangers bearing coal and a lot of Scottish people on the TV swinging their kilts and their whisky bottles. My father, Harry, used to celebrate New Year in a big way down at his local while we children waited for him to come home intoxicated so that we could laugh at him. One year he did the Highland fling with a party can - a huge can of beer that held seven pints – then opened it! We welcomed 1962 in a shower of beer and the house still reeked of Ansell’s’ bitter in June! 

Another year – 1976 I think - the family accompanied dad to his local, the Seven Stars, and at midnight we three sisters marched into the bar because that was the year that women were declared equal and couldn’t be refused entry anywhere based on their gender. We wanted the moon, equal pay and the opportunity to buy a pint in the snug! My sister took our newly legislated freedom a step further by marching into the Gents toilets while my father cried into his beer and declared that the world had gone mad.

Perhaps that’s why my father chose the 31st December to cast off his mortal coil and join the spirit in the sky. That year I lay in bed listening to neighbours singing Auld Lang Syne, distant fireworks and the world celebrating and I wandered how people could be so happy while I was so sad. I suppose that sums up New Years Eve – some have had a year to celebrate and others are sadly counting their losses.

Since being in South Africa we have the additional burden of celebrating twice – at midnight and at 2am as we wait for and send good luck messages to the UK. A few of years ago I opted to babysit for New Year and when friends asked had I seen the New Year in – I replied, “Yes! At 23h30, 00h15, 01h45, 02h30 and 04h10!” I had forgotten that is what New Year’s Eve is like with a 3 year old.

I am also remembering a New Year spent in Cape Town visiting a friends who were in isolation there. Our dear friend had been diagnosed with acute T-cell limblastic lymphoma so while the champagne corks were popping, he was in hospital popping pills and battling the horrors of chemo. Friends of friends opened their home to us and we saw the 2010 in with strangers in Monte Vista and drove back as the sun came over Table Mountain unsure of what the year held. He is a survivor and a hero and I know will celebrate many New Years!

2012 Is it really only 6 years ago that Tony and I were singing,“We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne,"  with sister Julia and Tom in Manchester - dining in style and dancing the night away. Such a joyful evening and the expectation of a great year ahead - Four weeks later, I was numb with shock and arranging Tony's funeral.

2013 - Spent in Natal with where we eventually found somewhere to eat - Jimmy's Prawns - at 10pm to be told they weren't licensed, Never Again!

2015 I spent the night on my own, scrap booking, I think and then climbed into bed early, content, healthy and grateful to have made it through another year and achieving most of what I set out to do. This year I turned my dream of sailing on the Chobe River into reality. I have visited Singapore and Thailand and spent precious time with Sean Nadine and Katherine. I managed a few days in the UK having fun with Julia, Tom, Sandra and Janice and family. I have fished for trout in Dullstroom, set sail in a canoe on the Keurbooms river (albeit briefly) and I have enjoyed some wild adventures with my camera. I have been productive and managed financially to maintain my home, my health and my sanity, I am content with my lot and looking forward to 2016 - excited at the possibilities it has in store and plotting my path to make more of my dreams come true. Tonight there are no plans as yet,  but I shall be remembering the past and definitely looking forward to celebrating a life lived deliberately.

2016 Today V is arriving from Natal - this will be our last New Year together - the decision is made and I just have to take action. I am disappointed but I am truly worth more than a daily phone call at 9pm and a long weekend per month. My sister and hubby is arriving tomorrow so I am excited for that. We will travel a little and enjoy the beach and the bush! I have new projects to look forward to and enjoying time with my family and friends. I have goals to visit Namibia and  Botswana and perhaps I will fit in a trip to the UK too!

2017 Surprise Surprise - Isn't life full of them! This year I am spending New Years Eve in Novi Michigan. Wrapped in a white blanket of snow - snug and warm and watching Little Women on BBC. Yes - I will be having a glass of bubbly but probably at 9pm as that is what parents of small children do lol. I have achieved all that I set out to do this year so I deserve to celebrate my achievements.  My plans for the year are in progress and I do believe that I will have some exciting adventures in 2018. I am blessed with a loving family and privileged to spend time with the little people in it.

2018 Change, Change and Change! Reflecting on last years comment that I plan to have exciting adventures in 2018 is a bit of an understatement. Who would have thought that life would have washed me up here on the very south coast of England watching swans, gulls and river traffic on the Arun in between rushing off to races in Ireland and the UK? I have had some wonderful adventures, traveled on trains and boats and planes to Canada and the USA and through England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. I have met some really interesting people, made a couple of new friends, spent time with old friends and met someone who is kind, thoughtful and loving and is great fun to spend time with. I hope I have made a difference to a couple of elderly folk and I have loved my year of living differently! I am already making plans for 2019 but right now I am looking forward to seeing you all again in January and catching up with all your adventures.

2019 / 2020 /2021 What happened??

I was trying to remember today how I celebrated the last couple of New YearsEves ? We were in South Africa - packing for Cape Town I think last year. Beyond that I can’t remember - perhaps a long term effect of Covid! New Year seems to lose its sparkle as you age and today we had lunch with friends and will stay at home and look for something good on TV.  Plans - fingers crossed - to travel south are imminent. This year,  I have managed a visit to the USA and had a great time with the family there. We have holidayed in Ireland and as far north in Scotland as we could, and explored the Jurassic coast as far south as we could get. I have reconnected with my eldest brother and made the most of travel opportunities around various restrictions. I am grateful for my health, my family and that my nearest and dearest is well. I am loved and had the opportunity to spend time with my loved ones - a blessing! 

Once my life was lived from goal to goal. I had to-do lists, bucket lists, f#*&-it lists and short and long term plans. Now I am just living in the now - savouring the special times with people and taking life as it comes …..mostly in boxes from Amazon! I know I will spend my 69th birthday in the wild bush of the Eastern Cape and hopefully awake to the rumble of lion, the call of a Knysna loerie  and that special earthy fragrance of  nature that I love. 

Not sure whether we will be doing the Hokey Cokey this year as sadly , Larry La Prise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey" died peacefully at age 93 last week. The most traumatic part for the family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in..... and then the trouble started. Hee Hee!

Happy New Year to all my family and friends........and special thoughts of my dad Harry – I hope that you are enjoying a wee dram at the ‘eighth star.’

Time for Greenwich - A nautical weekend

Greenwich - what a treat! I enjoy my monthly summer trips to London but I knew when I explored Greenwich that I would need more than a day. Its a area in South East London by the Thames that has a long association with all things nautical and is home to The Cutty Sark, The Royal Naval College, The Royal Observatory and The National Maritime Museum plus several other nautical monuments. N agreed to come with me as I planned to stay overnight and I believe that he thinks London just isn't quite ready for a loose Sue :-) so I booked us a room as close to the Thames that I could get - The Mitre Hotel which proved to be the perfect choice. We went up on the train on a Sunday which is very easy from LA and later we ubered to The Mitre to drop luggage off and start our adventure. 

First stop was The Cutty Sark which was a very easy walking distance from where we were staying. once inside my first impression was TEA - The Cutty Sark is an old tea clipper built in 1869 which greatly improved the transportation of tea from Shanghai, China and the fastest of them all. You can still smell the tea in the hold which was rebuilt in the forties after a fire and incorporated used tea chests. I love the feeling of being in touching distance of anything old and with a history and my imagination runs riot with thoughts of what it must have been like to live on such a vessel in the 1870 as she sped through the oceans. The experience itself is very immersive and you can plot a course from China to England  - which we both failed miserably to do at first attempt. We learned about the navigational instruments the captain would have used and saw photographs of the working crew and details of their very poor rations served up from the tiniest of galleys. We admired the renovation and the variety of knots in the rigging (which I later learned a friend of mines dad had been involved with while at Naval College). It was very interesting and well worth a visit ........ and an opportunity to have a 'Titanic' moment on the upper deck! We hopped off the ship and walked over to the pub by the same name to have lunch - which was surprisingly good!

After lunch we headed up to the observatory - again we ubered but this time we were not so lucky as our driver was clueless and dropped us where google maps told him the Observatory was which happened to be quite a long walk! So we limped into the observatory - our enthusiasm waning with every step.

The Royal Observatory is a beautiful building high on Greenwich Hill looking down on the Thames and is the site of the Greenwich meridian (GMT) and had the important role in navigation and astronomy. It was commissioned in 1685 by Charles 1 and at the same time he created the role of Royal Astronomer to, "apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation."  

John Flamsteed was appointed and the museum is in Flamsteed House where he and his family lived. As well as interested details of the family and the history of navigation and study of the heavens, the museum has some amazing instruments of the time which I found fascinating and was in awe of the craftsmanship and thinking that lay behind sectors, compass and astrolabe. Some were really beautiful and again my thoughts conjured up the people who used them and how clever they were. I got to stand with one foot either side of that important Greenwich meridian. In fact I loved this visit as it was more than I expected and the view down over the Thames was worth the long walk. We were in luck on our return as a disability golf cart stopped as we were trying to get a signal to call an uber to get us back down the hill and offered to take us - Thank Goodness! we were dropped only a few yards from The Mitre and were able to have a well deserved tipple and access our room to freshen up for a very late Sunday roast! After which we managed to get ourselves drawn into the weekly Sunday Quiz night that the Mitre holds. It was both terrifying and hilarious as we had no idea of the answers to some of the more modern questions and our guesses brought much mirth to the team marking them!

On Monday we planned to visit The Naval College- just to enjoy the Painted Hall and we thought the earlier the better to enjoy it without the crowds. The College buildings are massive and sprawl over the banks of the Thames. They were designed by Christopher Wren and build between 1696 to 1712. They have been a palace and a hospital and they are very impressive! - they house The Painted Hall which is a magnificent baroque masterpiece by Sir James Thornhill and has over 200 figures of Kings, Queens and mythological characters  painted over walls and ceilings and over an area of 3700 square meters and features the artist himself. It was a sight to behold and again I learned so much as our guide brought history to life for us and N was able to imagine his great grandfather having dinner in this great hall as he attended this very naval college. Unforgettable but I left with a crick in my neck after spending a couple of hours looking heavenwards. We needed a rest and chose to  walk up the Thames to a landmark pub called The Trafalgar - so easy to spot as it was covered in Naval flags which we sat under as they fluttered around us! A bit early in the day for a tot of rum but a nice long shandy was very welcome before we made our way towards The Queens Gallery en route to the Maritime museum.

The Queens Gallery houses a stunning collection of maritime art and I was hoping to see  Constable's The Fighting Temeraire but was disappointed as it was out on loan. However we saw The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth 1 and an unexpected pair of LS Lowry's and had a peak at the magnificent staircase which I believe has featured in several films! Again all housed in a beautiful building.

By now we were feeling the pace - London is sprawling and exhausting to navigate so we continued our day by finding food - in the cafeteria of the Maritime Museum! The chairs were most welcome and the food surprisingly good and after a brief rest we went to the info desk and as time was ticking and our legs were aching, we asked to two 'not to be missed; exhibits and were directed to The Trafalgar Room with exhibits of our late great Admiral and then on to view relics from The Titanic. We were both by now feeling that sinking feeling and went to collect our luggage and walk to the Uber boat station on the Thames where we fittingly ended our visit. WoW! The nautical weekend truly exceeded our expectations and although we did a lot - we learned a lot and felt it was worth the energy invested - having said that we were grateful for our long rest on the train home. Greenwich is lovely and such an interesting place.

A new direction.

Having a contemplating week - Yes! I know a bit deep but I've been thinking what is the point of my blog other than keeping an online diary and recording my travels so I have decided to add some purpose to my ramblings. I'll continue recording my ramblings and roaming adventures but my focus from now is to create a positive space for being ageing. I am 71 - 'NO' I hear you think and so do I most days but I am that age and although I feel years younger and have a positively juvenile outlook on life Id like to share with others what works for me. Not anti ageing secrets but more of a pro ageing wisdom.

Although I consider myself to be an intuitive being, I believe most things in life start with a decision or choice and that's how I start my day with decisions I have made about my day and so day by day I have consciously decided how I want my life to be. Sometimes the universe gets in the way of all this and makes decisions for me - like incidents beyond my control such as illness or other obstacles thrown in my way. I surrender to these and think of them as lessons and a hint to slow down or rethink direction.

Back to the decisions I have made about ageing - my blog is called The G Spot for reasons I explained in 'about me' in the side bar, I plan to live my Golden years with Grace, Gratitude, Generosity, staying Grounded and Genuine and I hope I can live with a little Glamour and Glitz to light my way! So the G spot is still where you'll find me but I'll try and keep my wanderings on tack by promoting pro ageing and sharing what I have learned so far on living young - into my seventies!

Beautiful Galway and Killarney

We seem to be having a year of castles - so we started our stay in Ireland at Ashford Castle. We flew to Dublin from Southampton - a first for me. The appeal was a small airport just over an hour from here and avoiding the crowds and energy that Gatwick or Heathrow demand. It was indeed a small airport but with 30 people inside it soon becomes packed. The small queue took forever to process but the upside was that we didn't have long to wait at our gate. I had no carry on luggage but N always takes his medicine in his carry on as it is life saving! Security was a nightmare and I swear we will all have to turn up naked at the airport soon as shoes, belts, jewellery and were removed. I got through pretty much unscathed  but poor N went back and forth as lights flashed and was frisked like a criminal - all because his passport was in his pocket and setting everything alight. More drama as when we went through the departure gate they decided that his tiny carry on case which has been through many airports and is the same one he has travelled with for years was deemed too big and he was fleeced out of £30 - the same carry on on the same journey on the same plane was not a problem coming home - we would complain but  at Aer Lingus it is impossible to speak to a human! Enough ranting.........

Castles! We opt to stay in the less grander Lodge at Ashford Castle - it is warmer, cosier and friendlier than the actual castle and you can enjoy all the amenities and also the restaurant in my opinion is better. However I don't know who decided on the colour scheme of our suite but it was RED - like a fire engine. Red bedhead, red and white striped curtains - i felt I should check behind them in case a clown jumped out! We got used to it though and after three days thought it was perfectly normal to have a shiny, red PVC headboard. The lodge has an eclectic art collection and I can only think the red bed was part of some art installation. We unpacked, settled in and enjoyed a wonderful meal while enjoying a view of Loch Corrib  and so we relaxed as we always do in Ireland. Its a completely different vibe over there - friendly people who smile a lot more than folk here and a different pace of life. We had a lazy breakfast and took a ride to Achyl island where I had the best prawn sandwich in the world once upon a time. On this trip we ventured into a small family owned restaurant and was served traditional Irish fare - home made pie served with enough vegetables for 20 people! The scenery around the coast in Ireland is amazing - very like New Zealand on a miniature scale with mountains just dropping into the sea which is dotted with small islands all up the coast. A grey day which turned out to be beautiful - we parked the car and walked along the beach - no one really thinks Ireland and beach in the same sentence but they have lovely, long, windswept stretches of sandy beach that are usually deserted.  

The following day we decided we would make use of the castle and enjoy drinks and afternoon tea - one of the best I have enjoyed. I chose a cocktail to enjoy with it - not realising that it came in a smoke filled dome and looked like a Harry Potter special! It made quite an entrance and was very enjoyable. We watched the weather change as we sat there and our plans to explore the gardens changed accordingly so we whiled away the afternoon and caught up with reading and the news. 

Wednesday was racing day - and N had plans to meet up with old friends. I love both watching the horses and the ladies fashions at the races and those Irish ladies have bags of style. They just look beautiful - we had a lovely afternoon with two horses running in the same race - no winner but they ran well. The party was still in full swing when we headed back. On our last day we had planned a trip on Loch Carrib - the Carribean as the skipper calls it. The weather was perfect - the loch like glass and I took the most amazing photographs of the cloud reflections - even the skipper was impressed and asked me to send them to him and they were featured on their social media. Another wonderful stay in a favourite place.

We headed to Killarney for more adventures, more delicious food - including a traditional Irish restaurant hidden above a craft shop - we left two hours later with a little blue pottery jug and a collection of Seamus Heeny poetry! I am always lucky in Killarney and found shoes and other bargains in TK MAxx - a place I usually don't have the patience to shop in. 

We drove our last day around the Dingle Peninsular to the most westerly pub in Europe and meandered off the beaten track homeward bound. I'll  never get tired of that beautiful land or its lovely people! Always sad to leave and always grand to be back.

Sunshine and Gardens

 'The earth laughs in Flowers', someone once said and late June brought sunshine and showers - just what a garden needs and so we headed off to explore the best that the National Trust has to offer.

Mottisfont The garden at Mottisfont | Hampshire | National Trust

Mottisfont is known for its roses and particularly its old style French roses. Fertile land and a 'font' aka spring attracted a settlement and establishment of a priory on this land in 1201. The dissolution of the monasteries under Henry V111 led to the house being gifted to Lord Sandys and throughout the ages the house and garden has served as a country seat visited by Elizabeth 1, to an artists haven through the patronage of Maud Russel a wealthy society hostess in the 1930s.

The gardens are colourful and fragrant with huge borders of lavender that beg to have hands trailed through them enclosed bright beds of blooms. Entering the rose garden is like falling into a vat of silky pungent rose petals - you see I become very poetic around flowers! It is home to the National Collection of pre-1900 shrub roses which create an annual spectacle. Over 1000 rose plants which flower once a year are planted among complimentary plants such as cool agapanthus and iris and bright lilies and dahlias. We had been once before but as the roses were dying off so felt that we hadn't seen it at its best - this year there was a magnificent display. Afterwards we sat in a shady part of the garden having lunch and was joined by a family of birds swooping quickly down to catch the crumbs. It really was a memorable day and worth the long drive.

Woolbeding Woolbeding Gardens │ Sussex | National Trust

This is another National Trust property that we have visited previously and your visit has to be planned because there is no parking on site. A shuttle bus runs between the gardens and the town car park in Midhurst and that has to be booked also the gardens are only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Its all a bit hit and miss with the unpredictable weather but we were lucky to enjoy a sunny day for our visit. The gardens are set out in a series of 'rooms' . The West Borders are planted in shades of white, blue and yellow with the walls full of climbing roses. There is a well garden, a fountain garden, the long walk and the orangery and pool garden. The various colour schemes are really interesting but the piece de resistance is the Woolbeding Glass House and silk route garden. The striking ten sided, kinetic glass house was built by Heatherwick Studio and is in the shape resembling a lotus flower or a crown and is cleverly engineered to provide sunlight and shelter as required. The winding path leading to it is called the Silk Route garden and contains 300 species and 12 distinctive regions of the silk route. It's just so different than anything I've seen before and really interesting to visit. We met a lovely couple there too - we kept bumping into them as we meandered around and ended up sitting in the glass house and chatting with them for ages. On arrival I spotted bunches of sweet peas for sale - one of my favourites - and asked for a couple of them to be put in water for when we left and their scent filled the car on the way home. A lovely day out!

Arts and Crafts House Standen House and Garden | Sussex | National Trust

We generally don't bother with touring the house when we visit National Trust properties - unless it rains and we need shelter - my interest usually lies in the garden but this was a lovely sunny day and we had also visited this house during Covid and denied the opportunity to go inside. This visit I found the house more interesting that the garden, designed by Philip Webb and interiors furnished by William Morris -  its one of the finest examples of an Arts and Crafts workmanship. It was build in 1891 for the Beale family - a thoroughly modern home with heating and and electricity. Me Beale was a successful solicitor specialising in railway work. His wife Margaret was a keen gardener and they had a large family. The sunflower motif is prevalent throughout and there was lots of arts and crafts ceramics and fabrics to ogle at. Seeing it put all together rather that the odd piece in isolation was like seeing the finished jigsaw picture. The cherry on the cake was that the garden was looking lovely too and the sausage rolls on sale were particularly good - simple pleasure!

Chartwell Chartwell - Wikipedia 

A bonus trip to Chartwell a couple of weeks ago as my son is a huge fan of Winston Churchill and he was visiting briefly. I have enjoyed both the house and gardens before and once again lady luck smiled on us as the day was just as good as summer can be in England. Obviously the attraction of the house is that the great man himself and his family lived here and its quite a modest home considering the magnitude of its owner. However its the personal touches that make a visit here special - the awe of walking in the footsteps of a man to whom England owes such a great debt. Things like his painting stool and easel set up by the pond where he spent hours trying to capture light and movement - as a painter he was very influenced by the impressionists. His desk a few metres from his bed - its well documented that he used to work when inspiration struck - often from his bed! This has been verified to me by a secretary of his who was in a book club that I belonged to. His study lined with his favourite books, family photographs and a framed photograph on his desk from Montgomery with the message, 'To Winston, my friend faithful and true on his birthday. 83 salutes from 100, 000 guns! Signed with love. A huge mark of respect from another great man. His collection of paintings and his art materials that travelled with him and evidence of his love of art surrounded him - not a valuable collection but a personal one. He was a practical man who loved pottering in the garden and got involved with brickwork and fixing and mending. The final room of the house was the kitchen - very austere and I wondered if he ever entered that room! Another great day out!

I find I learn more and retain information better when its presented in a visual way and my visits to National Trust properties really do help fill the huge gaps I have in my knowledge - particularly history. I think I slept through it at school!

Looking forward to many more visits and garden outings soooon!

My London Season

 I have continued my London days out but they started a little late this year as I was waiting for good weather - I'm still waiting! Since I've been back in the UK I've fallen into a pattern of going up to London once a month during the summer months when the days are longer. I usually go on my own and I think of it as a culture fix - I think the attraction is that I feel that I missed out a lot on theatre and art when I was living in SA  - the reality is that I saw lots of excellent theatre when I was living there both in Port Elizabeth and in Capetown and I maintain that the best art exhibitions I saw were when Sean lived in Singapore and I visited and was usually stuck for choice as there was so much going on. However I plan my days with military precision to include an exhibition, a matinee show and afternoon tea and once I've booked it all, I usually forget all about it until a few days before when I start worrying about getting lost, the weather and what I'm going to wear. As a rule I take an umbrella in case it rains, my portable fan in case its too warm, a jacket in case its too cold and a flask of black coffee to keep me awake! 

So far I've enjoyed Top of the Rock, The Jersey Boys, Mary Poppins, Operation Mincemeat, Boys from the Blackstuff, Le Cage aux Follies (the Birdcage) at the open air theatre in Regents Park, The Witches, The Ocean at the end of the Lane  and on my most recent outing I saw Witness for the Prosecution. I've visited the National Gallery, The Tate Modern, National Portrait Gallery and enjoyed a David Attenborough immersive experience called Earth and recently one at a gallery called Frameless which I really enjoyed because I knew all of the art featured and had seen most of it during my life.

I've enjoyed afternoon tea at various places - twice at the magnificent The County Hall, at The Parlour in Great Scotland Yard, Fortnum and Masons, Browns and The Ivy in Covent Garden and cocktails at the National Theatre. 

I'm always worried about missing the train home but usually end up in Oliver Bonas at Victoria Station if I have any spare time and arrive home weary after clocking up thousands of steps and vowing that I wont do it the following month - this feeling lasts about two days before I start investigating what's on in London that I cant miss!

Usually the journey is spent reading, doing a crossword or puzzles along with a bit of people watching which these days means watching people looking at their phones or laptops, but last week was different. A lady got on with a rather large suitcase and sat opposite me - I asked if she was going somewhere nice. "Home", she replied. Home happened to be about five miles from where I grew up so we had a nice long chat about Rainford, Eccleston, St Helens and discovered people and places we knew in common.  She was a retired midwife and had been to a reunion with the nurses she trained with. A little further along we were joined by a very flustered chap who couldn't get a signal and needed to 'connect' urgently. We got chatting as he needed to explain his frustration to someone. He was heading in the same direction as the other lady and said his mother had been a nurse and joined in our conversation. He was in the Navy in some civilian role and was going to introduce and hand over a ship to someone. The journey passed very pleasantly and in no time at all and we all parted as friends. The nurse and the navy chap climbing in a taxi together to continue their journey across London to Euston for their connection. On the way back I was joined by an elderly man with a large bag of sticks! "Cricket"? I enquired, "Morris Dancing", he replied and for half the journey I enjoyed hearing about how he got into Morris Dancing and how much he looked forward to it as his wife has dementia and it was a real diversion for him to spend a fun day out.  If only people spoke to one another I thought like they used to how much more pleasant rail journeys would be!

I've ubered here there and everywhere but this month I felt very brave for venturing on a London bus with my unused bus pass and who knows what this break though will lead to on my next visit - I think I'll be able to fit one more in this year before the nights start drawing in and my London season draws to a close - now what's on in London in September I wonder?