Albion, Albion

And the last two full days in England

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were spent going to church at Kelvedon on Sunday; taking Kathy to look for those items which seemed hard to find; and a final ring at Stisted on Monday evening. Tuesday morning off to Heathrow on the A120 - M11 and M25. BA flight 289 to Phoenix was not full and had a reduced cabin crew. Spent Wednesday in Phoenix then flew Great Lakes airline to Show Low where Chris and Steve collected us; and now we're home with the cats and dogs . . .

5 June Day Thirty-Three

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A visit with an old friend in Eye, Suffolk. On the way I stopped to take another picture of Dedham Vale

After detouring to Felixtowe we called on Johnny at Woodbridge (I missed a turn again) to give him a lift to Eye; he was our navigator through the beautiful Suffolk countryside. After a relaxing lunch with Corinne, Scott, Elizabeth and Jade we walked with Corinne to the parish church and up the castle hill to the folly then back to the Pest House for tea and cake. Here is a site with an excellent review of the purpose of a pest house and at Odiham there is a pest house open to the public. Few examples remain.

And the view of the church from the castle mound

Interior of the parish church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. The church underwent a major restoration in 1869 and in the last century Ninian Comper restored the rood and the east window.

On the way home Kathy had to stop for a pint at The Old Anchor, Feering

I mentioned Sir Ninian Comper, a name familiar to me from church crawling days around the fine and the humble churches of East Anglia, forgetting his is not a household name with the familiarity of modern celebrity.

4 June Day Thirty-Two

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Another beautiful day to take a few more pictures of the Essex countryside.

Cressing Temple Barns

The other side of the bridge over the river Brain that I photographed last year

The old forge at Chipping

Hill

Cottages along Church Street, Chipping Hill

St Andrew, Belchamp St Paul. This is where I rang this evening

3 June Day Thirty-One

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Shopping trip to Colchester and lunch at The Hole In The Wall on Balkerne Hill. Then, you guessed it, ringing in the evening at St George's church, Sible Hedingham.

2 June Day Thirty

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Chill out day then ringing at St Nicholas, Chipping Hill, Witham in the evening. Eight; tenor 18cwt. A visiting American thought I was American. I must stop 'D'ing my 'T's and not use American idiom.

St Nicholas, Chipping Hill, Witham. Pity about the power line . . .

Day twenty-nine

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Derbyshire dales

A rainy day. Time to unwind. Lunch at The Compasses, Pattiswick. Ringing tonight? Yes, at Feering.

Days Twenty-seven; Twenty-eight

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Travelled over the Pennines and skirted the Yorkshire Dales, after I missed the Wensleydale road, and down the A1(M) to Sheffield. My nephew and his wife had invited us to stop over night to break the journey back to Essex. We took them up on their kind offer and Sunday I got a rest from driving as Illyr took on a jaunt to the Peak District where I had time to walk in the strong winds and admire the views from a portion of the Pennine Way. Well, not quite The Pennine Way but from Mam Tor.

29 May Day twenty-Six

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A travel day across the Pennines and through the Yorkshire moors to Sheffield. But first I had to take my morning constitutional. This morning I visited Grasmere in the rain.

Days Twenty-Five

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Early moring walk to Rydal. Through the estate to Rydal House owned by the Diocese of Carlisle on the Coffin path;

I the crossed the road and walk up to join another footpath through the gate in the wall opposite The Badger. I took the middle path up to the Rydal Caves which remain from the quarrying of stone for the local buildings.

I walked down to the path along the shore of Rydal Water and returned to Ambleside refreshed and ready for the pleasant drive to Gatehouse of Fleet to see Kim Ayres exhibition Staring Back.

Day Twenty-Three

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After yesterday's rain today started sunny with scattered showers forecast. I took these pictures on my morning constitutional. I didn't meet any deer this morning.

After the morning walk a visit to Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's house at Near Sawrey. The Vegetable garden:

Dinner at the Indian Tandoori restaurant in Ambleside.

Day Twenty-two

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Short drive to Bowness-on-Windermere yesterday but I didn't snap any pictures but this panorama.

This morning I was determined to get some shots of Ambleside sans tourists and traffic.

The oldest dwelling in Ambleside

And this is one of the perks of wandering about before the sun is shining over the hills.

After my lone jaunt on foot we went on a drive to the west coast by way of Rydal, Grasmere; by Thirlmere under Helvellyn; Keswick, Cockermouth staying inland to Cleator Moor and then stopping at Whitehaven,

St Bees, where Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk begins; it ends at Robin Hood Bay on the Yorkshire coast.

We took a detour through Seascale and then up to Wasdale Head to gaze at the rain and mist shrouded Kirk Fell, Great Gable, Lingmell and Scafell Pike;

the screes sliding into the far shore of Wast Water;

Ravenglass where I had to forego a ride on La'al Ratty if I was to get to Chapel Stile in time to ring;

and then home through Broughton-in-Furness and Coniston. We'd missed the heavy rain in Ambleside.
Then I went ringing at delightful Chapel Stile. A light easy going ring of six.

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Monday 24 May The drive to Barrow-in-Furness passed along a beautiful road this morning. We visited Furness Abbey and took lots of pictures. Nice drive the weather continues to be beautifully sunny.

After the abbey we drove along beside Morecombe Bay where the low tide revealed the deadly sands. We lunched at The Old Farmhouse.

In the afternoon we toured Holker Hall and enjoyed long walks in the gardens.

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Long drive up to Cumbria on Saturday. No photos along the way although we passed through some pretty country.

The cottage is on the edge of Ambleside in the heart of the Lake District. The whole place is within a National Park.

I took a few pictures early Sunday morning walking into the village and snapping the little house on the bridge owned by the National Trust.

After breakfast I drove Chris and Steve into Ambleside and I went to Church in the Community centre attached to St Mary's parish church which is undergoing extensive repairs but the bells are not affected as the bells were being raised and I went to join them and drummed to some call changes; rang the fourth for plain courses of PB Minor and the treble for a touch of Grandsire then rang the second down in peal.

Fetched Kathy from home and then met Chris and Steve at Esquire Cafe where Wi-fi is available and a couple of public computers for £2.50/hr.

After lunch I listened to the radio adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's choice of a neglected work "The Snow Goose" by Paul Gallico. There followed a programme with Mariella Frostrup talking with the person who lives in one of the lighthouses at the mouth of the Nene which was the inspiration of the story suggested by the naturalist and painter Peter Scott.

Then I took a short walk up Loughrigg Fell. Walks here are short or long; they are all fairly strenuous, or is that my age showing? There is an annual running race up and down Helvellyn. That is a young man's sport.

Rydal Hall from lower Loughrigg

Day Seventeen Friday 21 May

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Short day before we head off to Cumbria tomorrow. Quick drive to Mevagissey by way of St Germans to see the church. I had gone over to St Germans yesterday evening to ring but we were only three to ring.

The west doorway and the west end of the nave

Details of the bells

From St Germans we passed through wonderful countryside on the A390 to St Austell and on to Mevagissey . . .

Day Sixteen Thursday 20 May

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The barometer has been steady at 29.7". Broken cloud visible. Fog lifting. Off for a mystery drive again; I don't get lost: a road has to go somewhere even if it dead-ends. And the intention is to drive to an end. Land's End.

A merry jaunt it was through countryside dotted with the remains of disused tin mines.

Drove around St Ives and along a narrow coast road to Zennor and Land's End stopping off at the Levant Mine owned by The National Trust as is much of the Coast Path which passes through the site.

We arrived at Land's End just in time for lunch. I then walked about gazing out to Carn Bras and the Longships light.

On the way home stopped we off at Falmouth briefly and I snapped a view from below St Dennis castle.

Two views

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from the deck this evening. I don't intend driving anywhere tonight.

Day Fifteen Wednesday 19 May

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The weather this morning was not conducive to appreciating the views from Land's End nor the kind of weather to be kind to Chris's arthritis so Chris, Steve and Kathy stayed home whilst I thought it a grand morning for a walk and so did the couple I met along the way on the Coast Path. I walked as far as the labyrinth then made my way up to the single track road back to Seaton. This section of the path winds up and down the wooded cliff top with occasional glimpses of the waves crashing on secluded beaches two hundred feet or so below. The common wild flowers along the way I could identify as bluebells, red campion, buttercup and what's that smell? Wild garlic. I found wild strawberry in flower, too. And trees: groves of sycamore. And I heard and saw birds: robin, chaffinch, dunnock, rooks and pheasant.

Wild strawberry

The Labyrinth

Evening of Day Fourteen Tuesday 18 May

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Off to Bodmin for some rounds and call changes at St Petroc's parish church. Many learners. Resource: Truro Diocesan Guild of Ringers

R.N.L.I.

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Royal National Lifeboat Institution. I put the odd pound in the boat in pubs and at lifeboat stations many of which are open to the public.

Day Fourteen Tuesday 18 May

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Looks like I missed a day. It was not Sunday 16th May we went to Port Isaac and Tintagel but yesterday Monday 17th May. I edited another post I'd started. I apologize for any confusion.

Took a little jaunt into Devon today to explore Plymouth and take a few pictures on Plymouth Hoe.

Anchor from Ark Royal presented to the city in 1980

Royal Navy Memorial

Armada commemoration

R A F Memorial

Remembering all the Empire, USAAF and USSR airmen who made the skies safe for the liberation forces in 1944 and the final victory in 1945.

No prizes for guessing who this is.

The Hoe lighthouse, formerly Smeaton's Tower at Eddystone rock.

Day Thirteen Monday 17 May

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West Looe across the bay this morning.

After a day of rest, Sunday 16th May, a day of travel, Monday 17 May, to Port Isaac, Chris is a Doc Martin aficionado, and on to Tintagel.

Port Isaac in the right foreground; Tintagel near the headland on the horizon on the left.

And here are some pictures of some of the wild flowers growing on the peninsular at Tintagel.

And I was patient enough to capture this jackdaw.

At the beach.

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St Martins

Day Twelve Sunday 16 May

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Sunday, a day of rest, but I awoke early listening to the gentle waves of the high tide breaking onto the beach. The sky is overcast The air is damp and hazy. The barometer currently reads about 29.3" and is falling compared to yesterday when we arrived. I walked on the road over the hill to the shop in Downderry this morning then back along the beach on the hard sand left by the receding tide.

The garden here at St Martin's is abundant; Anthea would have loved it. There is a common gull nesting on the roof behind the chimney.

And here's the state of the tide this afternoon just before 14:00.

And this evening.

A note of interest: the Eddystone light is just visible on the horizon when the haze clears.

Day Eleven Saturday 15 May

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Horsington is tucked away in a corner of the Somerset Levels. We spent a pleasant evening and comfortable night at the inn. I went walking to explore the village early in the morning enjoying the chorus of birdsong and a distant cuckooing.

I could see the parish church but could find no way of getting to it until I found a public footpath sign pointing to St Johns church in a lane going out of the village. The path lead me through private gardens and through a pasture and beside a paddock where a couple of horses were grazing.

The odd thing about the church clock is that it faces away from the village. After walking around the outside of the church I followed the lane from the gate back towards the village street. There is the remains of a market cross halfway down the lane with an explanatory plaque.

There is no sign in the village street showing how to get to the church.

It is a long time since I have seen a hedge neatly cut and laid like this:

An American style mail box at the gate of a wisteria covered cottage looks incongruous:

We set out on the road again fortified with a hearty full English breakfast. We had an easy drive; the clouds thinned and the sun shone. Then we on our way to explore Muchelney Abbey.

Apse of the original Anglo-Saxon abbey church.

Sorry about the drunken angle.

For several centuries after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII the abbot's lodging served as a farmhouse. One range of the small cloister remains.

Fireplace in the abbot's great chamber

I explored the parish church which contains much of the decorative mediæval tile that survives from the abbey.

Detail of mediæval tile by the font

We were on our way again through deepest Devon and red soil under the pasture in this shot.

We stopped for a quick lunch in Honiton. Then on we went skirting Exeter and finally crossing the Tamar at Saltash with a grand view of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's over engineered railway bridge carrying the main line on to Penzance.

The final roads into Seaton, Seythin in Cornish, were narrow and curvaceous and we arrived safely at St Martins. Here's the view towards Rame Head from the balcony:

Day Ten Friday 14 May

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Travel day to Horsington, Wincanton via Old Sarum and Stonehenge. This is the most driving I've done in England for a very long time. Set off from Silver End and joined the A120 to the M25; then M3 and the A303 to Andover for lunch. I drove through the countryside in a roundabout way after heading off to Newbury instead of Amesbury and ended up at Old Sarum instead of Stonehenge . . .

After exploring the earthworks, castle ruins and the outline of the original cathedral of Old Sarum we did drive up the road see the henge.

After walking all round Stonehenge we got going west on the A303/A30 to Wincanton and thence to the Half Moon Inn at Horsington where we retired for the night after washing down dinner with Morland's Old Speckled Hen.

Ascension Day Thursday 13 May

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When I was at primary school Ascension day was a holiday. There were four of us, including the priest, celebrating the Eucharist at All Saints, Feering this morning. Meanwhile Clare and Robin were, appropriately, floating in a hot air balloon over the Essex countryside.

Aubrey Moody was the long time incumbent of All Saints who owned Constable's altarpiece The Ascension painted in 1822. The original is now at Dedham but an excellent copy can be seen at Feering

The morning was bright and still but the clouds are beginning to thicken.

Ringing at Fordham this evening with a goodly band of familiar faces so all eight were rung. Special thanks to Roger, Rosemary, Chris, David, Ray and Philip.

Day Eight Wednesday 12 May

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I made this a busy day. We got going about eleven this morning and the first stop was Colchester. Wonder of wonders, I find a parking space in Priory Street car park - the special deal was £2 for three hours. The first thing was a snack with a large cup of black coffee for me; then the un-touristy visit to a music store and a book shop.

The Castle Museum is showing part one of a special exhibit about mediaeval life which included this book of plainchant notation:

As I mentioned from my visit last year one follows a chronological telling of the history of the area with models, reproduction exhibits to touch, and examples of clothing to wear. I didn't get the toga quite right:

The flowers in Upper Castle Park still looked good and on the Bowls Club house the new thatch I saw being applied last year is already weathered.

And I managed to get a picture of the friendly magpie:

One for sorrow, two for joy . . . .

But he wasn't obliging enough to stay still for any length of time.

We wuz 'ere

The river Colne is tidal as far up river as Colchester Hythe and Marriages Flour Mill, seeing that the tide was low I knew we could get across the Strood to Mersea Island safely without being held up. Went to Cudgrove Country Park at East Mersea so Chris and Steve could get their first glimpse of the North Sea beyond the Blackwater/Colne estuary.

Brightlingsea across the Colne

Yet another view of Bradwell power station across the Blackwater

And here is a reminder of the danger England was in seventy years ago:

and the rest of Day Seven Tuesday 11 May

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was mostly spent on the M25 and A12 fetching Chris and Steve from Heathrow. We had dinner at The White Hart, Coggeshall ; now I'm off to bed. Goodnight.

The morning of Day Seven Tuesday 11 May

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Each morning I waken to the song of the dawn chorus made especially noticeable by the relative quiet after the sun rises. Birds I saw or heard and could recognise included magpies, tits, finches, a partridge and skylarks.

After writing in the journal and uploading pictures to Flickr I walked around the fields. Children were arriving at the local primary school ready for the day's lessons in their maroon school uniforms.

I took a picture of the oak tree from a different angle.

Forty or so years ago the elms of England were attacked by insects and few elms survived. Now the great oaks of England seem to be succumbing to an arboreal disease.

I bought a couple of newspapers, The Daily Telegraph and The Times, to read what those papers can tell us about the moves to resolve the hung parliament.

The cowslips are all but over but apple blossom is bright as ever.

Day Six Monday 10 May

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Stisted where I rang this evening. Ringing behind to call changes and Grandsire doubles on a Tenor of 9cwt 1qtr 20lbs or 1056lbs. Then rang a touch of plain bob doubles inside on the fifth.

Rest of the day was spent planning places to visit after I collect Chris and Steve from the airport tomorrow. I will spend much of tomorrow driving to and from Heathrow.

Afternoon and evening of Day Five Sunday 9 May.

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After a traditional lunch of roast lamb at The Western Arms I drove to Colchester to meet Ruth and Kim at the War Memorial in front of the main gate to Castle Park just as we did last year. Although the weather was cloudy it didn't rain. We chatted about the state of ringing at Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Isleham and Fordham on the Norfolk-Suffolk border and other towers where we've rung.

I stopped at All Saints, Feering on the way back to Silver End to ring for, and attend, Evensong my favourite office. So at last I've rung a bell and made some noise.

The morning of Day Five Sunday 9 May

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Kathy and I went to a traditional Eucharist at St Mary's Parish church, Kelvedon. This is the church where I was chorister, sacristan and bellringer; I sometimes wound the clock and raised the flag of St George on Feast days.

High altar minus candles

The east window of the Lady Chapel, designed by Burne-Jones, depicts the angel Gabriel visiting Mary. "Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee."

The Annunciation.

The organ, housed in what was originally a memorial chapel on the north side of the chancel, was re-built in 1968-9.

The organ was originally on the south side of the chancel in what is now the chapel of Our Lady where The Blessed Sacrament is reserved. The image of The Virgin and Child was found in a local house I believe; as with anything published on the web I could be wrong.

The nave looking west from the chancel. The font cover cover commerates a past incumbant's mother and the candlesticks a faithful chorister, sidesman and verger.

Day Four Saturday 8 May

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Celebration and memorial for the fallen on the 65th anniversary of V.E. Day at The Cenotaph on Whitehall in the City of Westminster.

Kathy, William and I took Johnny out to a restaurant of his choosing to celebrate his 59th birthday. Tajine, falafel and other wonderfully herbed dishes with various flat breads at The Moorish Lounge in Woodbridge.

Night driving in the rain. No snapshots today.

Day Three Friday 7 May

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Clare treated us to lunch at The Ship, Heybridge Basin today

The sunshine on the face of that picture belies the fact that it was cloudy. We sat outside in the cool (cold?) gentle breeze blowing up the Blackwater estruary from the North Sea with the occasional raindrop. The Ship is across the lock from the lock-keeper's cottage.

No boats were going to use the lock as the tide was out.

After lunch we walked along the sea-wall up-river towards Maldon passing this small ship which has been moored here for quite a while.

Defender out of Lowestoft.

The walk was much more pleasant when the course of the path turned our backs to the wind. Plenty of birds to watch: black headed gulls, brent geese and we heard a cuckoo. Maldon from across the river with St Mary's tower and spike swaithed in scaffolding.

and more mud

We turned inland to rejoin the path along the Chelmer Cut, the canal which ends at Heybridge Basin.

After we got back to the car I drove through Goldhanger, Tollshunt D'Arcy where I turned off to visit Tollesbury briefly and William and I reminisced about Osborne Busses. I took a couple more pictures:

Lightship with Mersea island on the horizon

and a view of Bradwell nuclear power station

We continued towards Colchester passing Salcott-cum-Virley before turning off towards Aberton and across the resevoir to Layer de la Hay and returning on the Maldon (B1022) road past Colchester Zoo and turned to Copford and Marks Tey where we joined the A120 towards Braintree but I turned off on the lane on which I used to bicycle to and from the brick works and on my post round through Langley Green, Sky Green and Feering on to Kelvedon, Church Hill, Hollow road and back to Silver End for a cup of tea and to catch up here.

Day Two Thursday 6 May

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After the funeral service and commital at the Colchester Crematoruim yesterday I walked around Silver End with Kathy and one of my most long lasting friends, Johnny; you might know him as Steve; or even Tiger from Burnham-on-Crouch days.

I'm catching up a little. Bear with me. I have the tendency to recognize places by the pubs (e.g. Hemel Hempstead = The Leather Bottle). Silver End's remaining pub is the Western Arms. The Western family lived at Felix Hall, Kelvedon. There is a large brass memorial plaque to members of the Western family on the north wall of the sanctuary at St Mary's parish church, Kelvedon.

The horses, along withy a couple of ponies, are still grazing near the old gravel pit resevoir

In lieu of pictures of the hill I'm going to post a few pictures of this oak tree as it comes into leaf

Crop rotation: this field of rape seed was a field of winter wheat last year. And lots of people use footpaths and exercise their dogs daily here

In Memorium

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Anthea Porter neé Richardson

16 June 1940

23 April 2010

Requiescat in Pace

Day one Wednesday 5 May

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That's an original title isn't it?

Ash cloud? What ash cloud? More flights cancelled today. We flew over Northern Ireland before the airspace was closed again.

Cloudy and damp.

Brief overview

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Of the itinerary:

Week 1: Essex, Silver End, Colchester

Week 2: Cornwall, Lands End, Seaton

Week 3: Lake District, Cumbria (formerlly Westmoreland and Cumberland),Ambleside

Week 4: Essex.

What's afoot?

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No, nothing is ever . . . Kathy is planning another visit in May this year. Rather than start yet another blog I modified the blog title and header in preparation.

Is anything ever . .

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. finished? I keep coming back to rewrite a sentence here and correct a spelling mistake there and insert missing apostrophes. I did have the intention of writing a fuller account of my visit meanwhile you can see some more pictures I took whilst in England at Flickr; see Seeking Episteme for links.

Addendum

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Sad news. Anthea's dog Solo died Monday 6 July 2009.

Back to Arizona

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All good things must come to an end. Yes, there were some things I didn't get to do, but all-in-all a refreshing trip and I have all these images as an aide de memoir.

Yes, sister dear I have all my 'stuff'. One last bit of video of the out of Silver End towards Rivenhall and the Kelvedon turn offThe obligatory shot out of an aircraft window . . . The San Fransisco Peaks above Flagstaff just visible under the murk near the top of the picture.

A last walk with Solo

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Compare and contrast an old oak tree still bare on my arrival three weeks ago; and in leaf this evening.
A very pleasant evening after the cloud and rain this morning. Still a bit windy (out of the west 10-15mph?). Current temperature about 45°F. I've mentioned Solo - here he is.

A favourite pursuit is angling and most water in this part of Essex is controlled by the Kelvedon and District Angling Association.

Rainy morning

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My last full day. I go into Colchester one more time for a book-browse before returning the car and to make sure there is nothing that I absolutely can not live without; and buy some Pam Ayers poetry for my sister.

I suppose I'd better start packing. Isn't this where we came in?

To East Anglia

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I needed to make one last foray into the past after my brief picture-taking visit to Witham this morning. I first arranged to keep the rental car one more day so that I could visit one more tower where I used to ring during the time Kathy was stationed at RAF Lakenheath. I checked on-line (Why didn't I do this before my trip?) to make sure Thursday was still practice night at St Peter and St Mary Magdalene, Fordham. I 'phoned Roger, the Tower Captain, to confirm and let him know I would be there. And so, off I set at about 1pm. Why so early? To do more sightseeing and take pictures. The journey became another pilgrimage, not quite to the sea again, but to Lord Nelson's county to visit England's Nazareth . . . Little Walsingham.

On the way I stopped to take a quick picture of Constable country in Dedham Vale.

The river Stour here forms the natural boundary between Essex and Suffolk. It is very difficult to see in this shot but Dedham church tower is just visible, rising up above the middle of the tree line, in the distance. Much of the vale still offers views that John Constable saw and painted, especially along the river which passes to the north-west of Dedham. It's possible to hire a rowing skiff to row the three or four miles down river to Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's cottage. The river is tidal at Manningtree and flows out to the estuary between Harwich and Felixstowe.

A very fine restaurant, The Talbooth, lies at the Bottom of Gun Hill on the Essex side of the river as you come into Stratford St Mary.

I stopped again in Thetford home of Burrell traction engines, Thomas Paine, St Peter's suffer's from benign neglect (except for the bells).and St Cuthbert's is the parish church where all the action is; priory ruins (not pictured), earthworks and castle mound.Thetford is one of those unsung little towns, possibly because it was one of the 'rotten boroughs'. It is at the centre of the Brecklands, an area roughly bounded by the towns of Swaffham, Watton and Brandon, scrubland mostly given over to forest and a large Ministry of Defence training ground now. It also contains Grimes Graves, flint mines of the stone age. Brandon was main the flint knapping centre of England. View of Thetford town centre from the top of the castle mound. I didn't stop again until I reached the Slipper Chapel outside Walsingham; but I passed many notable sites such as the reconstruction of an Icene village (Boudicca's tribe; I've talked about Colchester without mentioning Boudicca??? Shock-horror) at Cockley Cley. The road offers a fine view of Castle Acre which contains ruins of another priory and a castle built by de Warrenne (I think); the parish church, dedicated to St Andrew, is quite prominent and the 'local' is a popular pub with travellers: The Ostrich.

The road also offers a dramatic view of another imposing church tower at Fakenham, another Norfolk market town. From Fakenham I took the road towards Wells-next-the-Sea, through the Barshams to Houghton St Giles and down a side lane through a ford to the Slipper Chapel and the Roman Catholic shrine of Our Lady of Walsingam. This is where pilgrims would leave their shoes to walk barefooted to the Shrine of Our Lady (St Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus, Star of the Sea, Queen of Heaven) who had appeared to a Lady Richeldis in the thirteenth century. Mediaeval England was very much 'into' St Mary the Virgin which is why so many English churches are dedicated to her. I didn't doff my shoes to walk the last mile to the shrine which was probably originally in the grounds of the Augustinian priory of which only the gatehouse, in Little Walsingham High Street, and a portion of the church remain. The Anglican shrine was built in the 1920's and has been a centre of national pilgrimage at Pentecost since.

Of especial interest to me is the Chantry chapel designed by Laurence King and built using, yes, hand-made bricks from W.H. Collier.Pilgrims are accommodated in the hospice,which has grown over the years, and the public is invited to enjoy the gardens which contains the stations of the cross.One natural public place of the village is The Commons. At the other end of the village is Friday Market. There are also Friary ruins, Sunk Road (reported to be haunted) and the fine parish church redecorated by Laurence King after a disastrous fire which gutted the building in the early 1960's. Mmm, I didn't take any pictures of the distinctive flint-and-brick work and the Dutch influenced gable ends . . . I stayed for Mass at the shrine so didn't walk more as time was pressing and I needed to eat and then aim to arrive at Fordham for ringing practice at 7:30pm.

Witham

2009-05-07T04:48:00.003-07:00

Prounounced Wittam (or Wi'um, the ' being a glottal stop, in 'Essex-speak') unlike the river in Lincolnshire which isn't.

Fans of Dorothy L Sayers books should know that she lived and died here; it was in front of this house that I was stopped by a plain-clothes policeman in a Wolsey and taken home as he thought I might be running away from home as he'd passed me before walking along the road towards Witham two miles further back by The Fox at Rivenhall End. I was about seven years old.The Town recognised Dorothy L Sayers by naming a few streets after her and erecting this bronze of the lady with her cat Blitz (Thanks for the correction, Ruth. I think I need to get my eyes tested).

What was the cinema remained unused and empty for many years until it was transformed into a library and also contains the Dorothy L Sayers Centre.

The main thoroughfare is Newland Street. Some of the shops I remember from over forty years ago are still in business: Mundy's and Holt the butcher. Julian, my nephew, did a catering internship at the White Hart;

and the George and Red Lionremain but sadly the Spread Eagle, famous for the four gables, is no longer a pub.

Modern Witham grew up away from the mediaeval market town which grew up around St Nicholas' church, Chipping Hill. 'Chipping' is an old term designating a market as in Chipping Norton, Gloucestershire.

Two general views from each side of Newland Street looking towards London.

This is the school in Spink's Lane that I attended from 1962 to 1969.
This brick pedestrian bridge over the river Brain is a quiet corner of Witham below Chipping Hill which has not changed much; but the surrounding housing estate has.

Colchester redux

2009-05-06T12:04:00.003-07:00

Anthea took me to lunch at Perry's, a large garden centre/nursery/restaurant in Inworth. Salmon and broccoli pie and jacket (baked) potato. And my American friends must understand that English broccoli is tender and flowery; and one can still buy purple sprouting broccoli, a little more expensive because it is a biennial; therefore less commercially viable.

Whilst Anthea had her afternoon nap I nipped off to Colchester again, I'd seen something in a shop window on one of my previous visits that I just had to buy. And I browsed in a chain bookstore, not half as interesting as Browsers in Woodbridge . . . and bought a couple of books. Paperbacks; not expensive tomes. Another quiet day wondering where the time went . . .

Wild flowers and woodland

2009-05-06T04:07:00.007-07:00

I accompanied William walking Solo across the fields, that is on public footpaths around the fields, this morning. In the nearly three weeks I've been here many of the trees have come into leaf and the early spring flowers are dying off.

Catching up

2009-05-05T10:29:00.007-07:00

I took a long drive yesterday evening (it's light until nearly nine o'clock) up to Diss, Norfolk by way of the A12 and A140, across the A1066 to Thetford (lost again for a little while) then followed the roads down to Bury St Edmunds (roads all different again) to Sudbury (Ah! no changes to the roads or traffic flow for forty years) The road from Sudbury to Halstead and thence to Braintree is just as hairy (i.e. dangerous!) as when I used to cycle it back in the days when I did a lot of cycling. Many stretches of those roads now have limits of 40 and 50 miles per hour and I obeyed the 30mph limits through villages

I roused myself up this morning wondering what to do and chatted with Anthea; William is on 'lates' this week and lay in bed watching the telly most of the morning. I read and edited yesterday's blog adding a few more pictures. I pondered the things I have not done: the folk festivals I did not get to; the open ringing days I missed; the steam days at railway preservation sites like the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel, Essex (Blur's first gig in 1989 I learned from a local paper). I know I'll take this video of the other pond and the top of the garden. The pond contains a variety of fishes: ghost koi, green tench, leather carp and a couple more that I won't attempt to spell.

After lunch I nipped down to Kelvedon to buy tickets for the first night of Kelvedon Players' production of Alan Ayckbourn's How the Other Half Loves. The 'nip' turned into another wander around the village and a visit with Carol and Eva, old friends of Anthea. Carol took me round his collection of Great War and WW2 memorabilia of everyday life displayed in a Quonset hut which used to be on the Rivenhall airfield. Many Americans who served in the bomb groups stationed there have visited, and contributed to, Carol's collections. Off ringing again tonight . . .

Behold, the Sea.

2009-05-04T14:59:00.013-07:00

I made a brief pilgrimage to a very special place in Essex today. My longstanding friend Steve came to visit today as he had not seen my sister and William for far too long. Steve just works too many hours repairing boats in a very busy marina on the Orwell estuary outside Ipswich. This machine is his chosen mode of transportation: After profuse apologies for his long absence over a cup or two of tea, we decided on a trip to Burham-on-Crouch, a small town where Steve once lived and worked. I managed not to get lost as I'm in more familiar country; but I did go quite a long way along a very narrow road which became a private road to a farm out on the Dengie Hundreds; making a wrong turn explains that, not getting lost. I was saved from making a bad video clip of part of the journey when the camera batteries died and I had no spares, so we went shopping for batteries so I could continue taking pictures. But I'm getting ahead of myself a little. I can't say I 'know' the country between Maldon and Burnham well but the Althorne bends are legendary in these parts. These are a series of sharp bends right, left, right, left, right, left . . . it's like going up (or down) stairs sideways. We drove along the street in Burnham where Steve used to live and then went down this lane, slowly It's not quite so scary as it looks because it is a one-way street and, as is evident from the SLOW on the road, I wasn't going the wrong way along it. Traffic flows change over the years and I have tried, once so far, to go along a street the wrong way . . . there was nowhere to park so on we went to Southminster and Tillingham on the way to Bradwell-juxta-Mare. Latin attaches itself to some place names for the pedantic e.g. parva, magna, cum; but the common man just says, 'little', 'great' or 'with'.

The weather was a bit blustery with the occasional shower but when we eventually reached the end of the road and parked the car, after my quest for camera batteries, we had arrived here:

I like to say that one can stick a pin anywhere in to a map of England and there will be a wealth of history connected to that spot. Some history is more readily available. St Peter-on-the-wall has connections through St Cedd, the Anglo-Celtic missionary who brought Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons of Essex at the invitation of King Sigbert, with Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumbria, and Iona, in the Inner Hebrides. Cedd arrived by sea from Lindisfarne in 653 A.D. After the Romans withdrew from the British Isles a mystic but down to earth Christianity was maintained through the great missionary Celtic saints: Aidan, Columba, and Cedd among others. Cedd was one of twelve commissioned by Aidan. The interior now, 'twas bare when I first knew it.I first saw St Peter's from Mersea Island, across the estuary of the Blackwater. It beckoned as only a remote, lonely place can. The chapel was build with material at hand, namely the remains of a Roman fort.
Wild life abounds, mostly a great variety of birds. We walked a long the sea wall. At last I had arrived at the sea, but the tide was out. This video pans from the decommissioned Bradwell nuclear power station, to views of Maldon, the hills (the terminal morraine of the last ice age as our geography master like to remind us) beyond Goldhanger and Tollesbury across the estuary; The Strood; Mersea Island; and Brightlingsea across the Colne estuary and finally the North Sea.

A sailing barge was tacking up the estuary towards Maldon, but my simple camera does not have the telescopic capacity to take a decent shot; this was the best I could manage. Oh, the horizon isn't very straight is it? These pictures only convey a little of the atmosphere of the mudflats, creeks and estuaries of the Essex coastline. No definitive cliffs here declaring, "This is where England begins." Tidal flows are great and low tides expose many miles of sand and mud; when the tide rushes in the unwary can be caught out on the sand banks or mudflats.

I'll find the words to describe these pictures later . . . meanwhile . . . . here are a few more pictures of the flat littoral of Essex depicting Bradwell power station, dramatic clouds and more mud.

Last day in Southampton

2009-05-03T15:33:00.005-07:00

Brief trip into Southampton city centre this morning. This being a holiday week-end there were many people about shopping, yes, on a Sunday; used to be unheard of in England. Voyager of the Seas was about to leave from the quay and I snapped a few pictures of the wall and Bar Gate and a couple of plaques on the Jane Austen trail.

Briefly . . .

2009-05-02T23:50:00.004-07:00

As one ages one indulges in gentler pursuits. This morning the destination was Winchester by way of Hillier Gardens on the other side of Romsey. Sir Harold Hillier established the gardens in 1953. There are 180 acres to wander on grassy paths through woodland and formal gardens. The magnolia is nearly over; there was plenty of Japanese flowering cherry and the Azaleas and rhododendrons were coming in to bloom in Brentry Woodland . . .

Winchester is a wonderful city famous for the cathedral; the Wessex kings and the round table; and the Winchester Bible. Marion, Des and I made it up the narrowest spiral staircase I've ever climbed, and I've climbed a few with my bell ringing exploits, to the top of the central tower. The bells are left in the 'up' position ready to ring.The ringing chamber.The tour up the tower lasted just over an hour. Another view from atop Winchester cathedral tower looking towards the old city wall and castle. There is a cricket match in progress. Hampshire is the home of cricket, unless you are a Yorshireman, of course.After a cup of tea and scones Des had to visit his favourite antique clock and watch shop . . .

In the evening we went to the Chinese State Circus, in Southampton for just six days, to be entertained with some amazing acrobatics.

Come to the maypole, haste away, for 'tis now our holiday

2009-05-01T10:46:00.012-07:00

I expect you may have been wondering what happened to the last day of April? Oxford (and rain) happened; and no access to a computer to edit the blog and upload pictures. . . . . I'm suffering change-ringing withdrawal symptoms. Already? I'm not quite at the sea-side once again. Southampton. A guest at Des and Marion's in Bitterne. I left Silver End for Oxford yesterday morning; this is the car I'm driving

I found my way to Braintree and was promptly mystified by the roads none of which were at all familiar to me. I didn't 'find' myself' and feel confident until I reached Hemel Hempstead and recognized a pub, the Leather Bottle. Ha! I was on the right road. I've noticed that some reliable, sensible pub names have changed. At Aylesbury I followed the signs to Oxford, but I missed Thame . . . oh well. Julian's black cat, Caesar, didn't swear at me when I let myself into the house, I guess he got socialized during his week long stay with Clare's cats and all the coming and going of people at Silver End. First order was tea, as it is everywhere; Then a walk down to the Plain, across Magdelen Bridge

Then right along Long Wall to snap the original Morris works

From there into Holywell

to Broad Street; look at all those bicycles - must be term time.

I resisted the temptation to go browsing in Blackwell's then made my way to Carfax for a trip up the tower to take more pictures in the rain.

As the intensity of the rain increased I made my way past the castle and back around to the bottom of St Aldates to Folly Bridge over the Isis (known everywhere else in England as the Thames) Do you find all these parentheses tiresome? I shall I stop making them if you like. By now the rain was hard enough to dissuade me from walking along the tow path to Iffley lock as my dear sister had suggested; instead I walked in Christ Church meadowson the city side of the river where some fine old cows were browsing. Affixed to the wall behind Merton there is this plaquecommemorating the first 'fire' balloon flight. I arrived back at Princes Street just before Julian left for his evening duty in the kitchen at Lady Margaret Hall (now co-ed). I settled down with bread and strawberry jam and more tea and World Championship snooker from Sheffield Crucible on the telly. Very relaxing. Clare and Robin soon arrive with loot from a shopping trip in Oxford and we settled down to an evening in front of the telly watching the news, Eastenders and My Family; and the Clare let me play with the Wii after she'd had enough of Guitar Hero.

May Day I got up bright and early to go down to the Plain

to hear the choir and bells of Magdelen sing in, and bless, May morning at six o'clock. The bridge was closed, a very unpopular measure to prevent revellers jumping into the shallow Cherwell from the bridge, so I couldnt get into the city. I missed the Morris dancing! The bells rang up in peal but I couldn't hear them very well for the noise of the crowd. I returned to Princes street for breakfast and went to the shop to replenish the larder and buy the morning newspapers before packing ready to set off for Southampton. I miss my trusty navigator (Kathy). After we'd had an initial catching up with our news chat Marion and Des took me to Romsey Abbey church, one of those very large parish churches of cathedral dimensions. We plan a trip to Winchester tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Haven't quite got to the sea yet.

2009-04-29T09:34:00.007-07:00

This was more of a rest day taking Anthea to Maldon; and shopping after lunch whilst I took a quick shufty to the quays before going back home by way of Goldhanger with a quick detour to Heybridge Basin.
Probably one of the most photographed and painted views of the quay at Maldon with St Mary's church overlooking the river.

The bridge carrying the road from Heybridge and points north at the bottom of Maldon Hill.

The Old Ship pub (freehouse: meaning it's not tied to, or owned by, a particular brewery) by the lock into the basin. And a view looking downstream on the estuary of the Blackwater towards the North Sea. Very blue isn't it?

2009-04-28T23:24:00.002-07:00

William likes to take candid pictures of people . . . easy to do when I'm snoozing.

Crinkle-crankle to treble bob

2009-04-28T15:13:00.011-07:00

This was to have been a rest day from my running around the countryside, but guess what, I did some driving around the countryside anyway. I'm sure some of these country roads weren't as narrow when I bicycled along them when I was a boy. And one has the sensation of driving through a green tunnel with the tall, thick hedges on either side of the lanes.

I went on an expedition to snap pictures and visit some structures build with Collier's bricks.For three and a half years after leaving school (What do I do now?) I worked at W H Collier trying to make bricks. Some of the results ended up in this crinkle-crankle (a decorative, wavy wall)

along a road in Great Braxted, Lea Lane. This close up displays something of the variety of colours and the texture of a hand-made brick. Time was when a maker could recognize the bricks he made from their shape and the characteristic face pattern.(Not really; one cheats and looks at the letter on the frog before the brick becomes part of a wall!)

I followed back roads to Wind Mill Hill to a single lane road which has become a farm track, except it is metalled, as it is so little used by general traffic. There is a triangulation point still in a field nearby; a legacy from the days when England was first mapped by the Ordnance Survey. There were bluebells in their natural woodland habitat.

I visited Feering the village where I delivered mail for a while, too, on a push bike. The parish church, now part of the united benefice of Kelvedon and Feering, is dedicated to All Saints. There a is great old yew tree in the churchyard.

And there is a village green with village sign, old telephone box and post box.

I followed part of my route along Goggeshall Road to Feeringbury Manor and turned up another road which is little more than a single track road to Sky Green and Langley Green past Honigals Farm to Great Tey and then to the brick works

in Marks Tey. The brick works was sold by the family that had run it for over a century but still trades under the name W.H.Collier. There are fewer hand-makers now and I met Terry, who is now retired but works a couple of days a week, and reminisced about the 'good' old days when it really was hard, long days. I tried to make decent bricks for three and a half years and worked with Terry then, and we remembered Tadeusz 'Ted' Noremberg the best and fastest maker we knew; he made it look so effortless and his speed came from economy of movement. And we didn't wear gloves then, either.

More place names on the old A12 between Kelvedon and Colchester: Copford, Stanway, Lexden. I came into Colchester and parked at the top of Balkerne Hill opposite the Hole in the Wall, the remains of the Balkerne Gate in the Roman Wall; the Mercury Theatre and Jumbo the Victorian water tower.

My quest was to walk around some more and take a few more pictures and find Jack's (at the end of Long Wyre Street!).

I then took a leisurely wander around the Castle museum which has fun things to do like wearing a replica of a Roman soldier's helmet, hefting mail amour to feel just how heavy it was and draping a toga over your shoulder. There was also an exhibition of etchings and woodcuts by seventeen local artists including James Dodds. That, for me, was a totally restful day completed by ringing a plain course of Kent treble bob on the delightful bells at Inworth in the evening before getting back to Silver End to write this and correct some errors in previous blogs. A writer is his own worst editor.

Good Morning

2009-04-28T01:05:00.002-07:00

This is a recuperate day. Being here for such a short time is like changing gears on the fly: I neither live hear nor am I a tourist and the quotidian round is much the same as at home except for the bell-ringing and seeing old friends. I've not posted many pictures of people. I wanted to capture a sense of place; familiar and unfamiliar sights. The smells: the must of woods, the vegetable smell of the blooming oil-seed rape (canola). The feel of a cool misty morning: damp, dewy grass sparkling in the morning sun, soft showers. The sounds of birdsong, children playing in the nearby school, the hum and changing gears of cars, 'planes flying out of Stansted airport, dogs barking, cooing pigeons.

I've not made time to play much music or read; it is enough to stand and stare (and I haven't made much time for that dashing about in a car) I will go and take some pictures of Feering and do a little shopping and browsing in Colchester, maybe stop by the brick works in Marks Tey on the way too . . . so much for having a quiet day.

Colchester redux

2009-04-27T14:24:00.013-07:00

I think I'm caught up with time now as I awoke with the birds singing at first light at about five o'clock this morning. I wasn't awake enough to go walking with Anthea this morning so went to buy a paper to have a go at the cryptic crossword puzzle. The cloudy, showery weather which had been forecast for the week-end finally materialised; it had to I was to take Julian (younger nephew) back to Oxford; and it usually rains when I go Oxford, last week being an exception. First I was to meet a ringing friend and her husband who travel to Colchester from Cambridgeshire regularly to visit her parents. We took refuge from the rain in the Minories, a gallery with a refreshment shop at the top of East Hill, Colchester. We then walked around Colchester to some of the less frequented historical places of note in the town like remains of St Botolph's Priory and St John's Gate.

Another of my favourite corners is Scheregate Steps in a passage connecting St John's Street with Isaac Walk and Eld Lane. I was disappointed to see yet another pub name change: the Clarence is now the Purple Dog. Scheregate Steps are over the site of part of the Roman wall much of which remains in other parts of the town notably Balkerne Hill where much remains also of a Roman gate into the town and Lower Castle Park. below

There are many formal flower beds in the Castle Park but the daffodils and hyacinths are over and the roses (for which Colchester was once famed) will not be blooming for another month or so but the tulips were in full bloom.
The remains of the Norman keep are massive. It is build partly on the foundations of a Roman temple.

Hollytrees houses a museum of childhood. A rather elegant brick building. I like brick building because I hand-made bricks at one time . . . The Dutch quarter is also a quiet area off the High Street that is worth exploring on foot. East Stockwell below and West Stockwell below left streets . . .

To the sea . . . almost.

2009-04-26T14:14:00.012-07:00

I slept well after yesterday's festivities and dressed hurriedly to join Anthea, my sister, walking Solo across the fields. This is routine and the walk follows public footpaths around the fields of the farmland surrounding the village. Another beautiful day despite forecasts predicting cloudier weather with a 10% chance of rain showers. After breakfast I took myself off to Woodbridge to see one of my longstanding friends Steve. He's lived and worked around Woodbridge and East Suffolk for well over twenty years now. After the obligatory cup of tea and a catch up chat with ours 'doings' since we last talked in person eleven years ago we took a long walk around the beautiful town of Woodbridge. I'd already taken a tour by car as I could not find my way to Steve's bachelor pad forgetting I had to make a complete turn around a roundabout (Am. Eng. = traffic circle) to make the turn into Haugh Lane off which he lives so I ended up in Melton, realized my mistake headed back to and through Woodbridge and this time I reached Martlesham before turning back and finally asking a young man for directions. No, I don't need satelite navigation thank you very much and I do think I have a fairly good sense of direction it's just my memory that's a little faulty sometimes.

Many local pubs are struggling to stay open and nearly all serve good food to help make ends meet. This is the Angel just off the Market Square where sits the Town Hall and another fashionably popular pub.
Two views of Woodbridge Shire Hall.

Just off Market Hill is the parish church dedicated, as so many churches were in mediaeval times, to St Mary. The imposing tower houses ten bells the tenor weighing about 25cwt. And, yes, I have rung at a practice night there many years ago. I know, I know the tower appears to be toppling over backwards . . .

One of the pleasant shopping streets; this one is very pleasant as Browsers is on this street . . . yes, a book shop!

Woodbridge is a wonderful example of an English country town. It sits at the head of the estuary of the river Deben. The tide-mill is a famous landmark on the waterfront near the quay. The town was bombed by a zeppelin in the Great War (WW I) and many American servicemen from the nearby bases knew the town well.
A typical street of cottages

The Wilford Bridge, a pub just outside Woodbridge on the road to Orford, where we stopped to eat. Adnam's is a local (Southwold) well known brewery

Two views of the Ore from the quay at Orford. Henry II built a castle here; there are fine views from the top of the keep.

Clare's Wedding Day

2009-04-25T13:42:00.010-07:00

The day finally arrived . . . so did the Rolls . . .

Clare and her mother (my dear sister) worked hard preparing for this day.

Not the best snap but the ceremony was over; the register signed and witnessed . . .

. . . the pot-pouri confetti tossed . . .

. . . and the last picures taken at Colchester Castle Park . . .

. . . then back to Silver End to eat drink and play . . .

2009-04-24T15:23:00.004-07:00

More ringing at Dickleborough, Norfolk this evening. Managed a couple of touches of plain bob minor and followed some Cambridge surprise minor . . . Got a bit lost with all the new roads on the way but it took only an hour to drive back to Essex. Another day done but with not much to say for myself.

Peggles and primroses

2009-04-24T03:22:00.006-07:00

Took the dog for a walk this morning and came across lots of cowslips but I didn't have the camera with me so back I went to snap them after reviewing how to get the camera into macro mode.

Then I had the idea to snap the primroses in the cemetary at Kelvedon before they are over.

There were a few bluebells, too.

No pictures.

2009-04-23T16:00:00.004-07:00

A day to recuperate after wandering across London yesterday. So I read what the paper's had to say about Alistair Darling's budget; murdered some music on the treble recorder (had to bring something to play as I don't have the dulcimer); went to the bank for some money (no, it wasn't a hold up); and I finally plucked up the courage to go hire a car so I don't have to rely on other people to ferry me about the countryside. It's a Vauxhall Astra. I was a bit nervous about driving here again and kept telling myself, "Keep left; look right. Look right; keep left."

So off I went bell-ringing again this evening. Tollesbury, a village at the end of a series of creeks on the mud-flats between Maldon and West Mersea; or if coming by land at the end of a twisty-turny country road; why are Essex roads so twisty-turny? Because the navvies that built 'em kept their backs to the everchanging wind. Then a whole string of village names comes to mind so indulge me whilst I list them as some of the names evoke Essex for me: Feering, Inworth, Messing, Tipree, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Salcott-cum-Virley, Goldhanger, Wigborough, Peldon . . .

. . . I'd met the captain of the Tollesbury ringers at Kelvedon on Tuesday and she invited me to come ring on their practice night. Tollesbury have a light ring of ten bells, tenor a shade over 7cwt or about 800lbs don't ask me to convert to kilos. Compare this to the original six at Kelvedon where the treble (or lightest bell) was 7cwt and the tenor (the 1951 Festival of Britain bell) just over a ton or about 2240lbs. Now I've been invited to ring at Inworth on their practice night next week. The drive back from Tollesbury was fun. The art of driving from the 'wrong' side of the car on the left side of the road soon came back to me, after all I did learn to drive that way.

Tomorrow we'll be busy preparing for the wedding . . .

Oliver!

2009-04-22T15:15:00.005-07:00

Griffin guarding the city boundary on the Embankment

London is a short train ride away. My, how things have changed. Well, what did you expect? London is still noisy and crowded and the buildings are even bigger, except those around St Paul's Cathedral thank goodness, but the characteristic smells are gone. Sadly, I feel none of the excitement I had as a child when going to London and I never worked there. Most memories are of church-crawling . . .

St Ethelberger's, Bishopsgate, is one church that I have fond memories of when I served at a High Mass there in the 'sixties. Fr Norman Small was the celebrant. The church was severely damaged by a terrorist bomb but has been beautifully restored.

St Paul's Cathedral from the South Bank near the Millennium Bridge.

Oliver! The show was brilliant; had me in tears . . .

Follow the Blue Line.

2009-04-21T15:01:00.013-07:00

Another day travelling; this time a quick trip to Oxford. Well, not so quick really as the M25 was a little busy on the return trip. I had to take a picture of my birthplace, our house in the middle of the street, a 1930's semi-detatched ('duplex' in American English); and pictures of a copper beech; a tall horse-chestnut tree; the Cherwell in University Parks and South Park from the top of which many paintings and photographs of 'this city of dreaming spires' have been made.

I'm still trying to get the hang of taking pictures with this camera and am not taking the time to adjust quality and size; bear with me . . .

Made it home in time to ring, which brings us to 'The Blue Line'.

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Tower bells are rung full circle, that is each pull of the rope swings the bell 360° 1234546 is rounds. When calls are made only adjacent bells can change places: e.g. 124356. When ringing a method (the example is one lead of Plain Bob Minor) more than one pair of bells may change places. Copy the example and with a blue coloured pencil trace the path of one number. If you use 6 the result will look like a wide V on its side. 6 ends at the bold number five position. This is one twelve change lead. Trace the path followed by number five and note the position it ends at (3) and repeat (2 then 4) and four ends in position number six where you started. Link the blue lines into one continuous line of fives leads and the result shows the pattern of the number six bell through a plain course of plain bob minor. In the video example the conductor calls, "Go bob doubles" this is the signal for the first five bells to begin ringing the changes of plain bob doubles. 'Doubles' refers to five bell methods; 'minor' to six; 'triples', seven; ten bells is 'royal' and twelve, 'maximus'. Unfortunately you can only see the 3,4,5 and sixth (tenor) which always rings in last place or 'drums' in this video.

Plain bob doubles:

12345 6 behind is understood.
21435
24153
42513
45231
54321
53412
35142
31524
13254
13524

England day three

2009-04-20T13:58:00.009-07:00

I am still catching up with time; it is 22:00hrs (10:00pm)local time (2pm AZ time) and I am still wide awake even after having a good stroll around Kelvedon again; this time with a camera!

Before setting off for Kelvedon I spent a leisurely morning reading the 'quality' newspapers.

Here are a sampling of the pictures I took in Kelvedon and Feering this afternoon.

The Sun Inn, Feering, just across the river Blackwater which is the village boundary.

below:A nesting swan near Grey's Mill, Kelvedon.

This is a very oblique view of the house in which I grew up.

There were just too many parked cars to take a decent shot.

The infamous Angel Corner (which is actually a double bend) now known as St Mary's Square. Viewed from London Road looking towards Colchester.

A morning walk

2009-04-19T12:41:00.010-07:00

A typical Essex green lane with hawthorn hedges; below: blackthorn blossom.

I didn't get up early enough (jetlag?) to walk the three miles to my old parish church. My sister took me in the car and I arrived as the Eucharist began. Afterwards I strolled through the village, stopping now and then to reminisce about the shops and pubs which are no more, along the High Street and back "the fields way" by the railway. I called in on an old friend and chatted.

I did some more walking when I returned to my sister's. The blackthorn is blooming. Blackbirds and thrushes singing and I heard a skylark.

And the front garden featuring a pink magnolia. Right: Ornamental cherry in the grounds of the primary school, Silver End.

First day

2009-04-18T10:52:00.009-07:00

First pictures of my sister's garden. Daffodils and green, oh so green, grass; one of the ponds, but you can't see the koi.

The flight from Phoenix was a little delayed . . . and delayed again. Darkness. I fancied we flew over the White Mountains and the lights down there were Show Low . . . Slept fitfully; glimpses of the Canadian tundra as the light strengthened; Atlantic obscured by clouds; landfall southern Ireland, Inch and the Kerry; the Irish Sea and the Wales; adjusting to the changes in air pressure as we descended following the M4, Windsor Castle, final approach over Houndslow and then touched down and taxied to the infamous Terminal 5 at about 14:25 local time. I felt a little like I was an extra in a sci-fi movie - shuffling along with the crowd (er . . . fellow travellers) in this disorienting building: upstairs, down escalators, whisked along in driverless shuttle train (mag-lev?), finally to the border and baggage claim.

Is England shrinking? Don't answer that; it's only my perception after being gone for so long. Green grass, rape in bloom, and the blackthorn! Hedges where I didn't remember seeing hedges before. The M25; the A12. Roads so narrow; the speed limit is what?

Each visit England becomes a little more exotic, and me native born. I hanker to do the things familiar to me in another life, catch up with good, life long friends . . .

Travel day one

2009-04-17T08:26:00.002-07:00

I'm packed. Oops no I'm not . . . Jasper Snowden's DIAGRAMS; follow the blue line . . . I'll reveal the answer to that riddle later, eh, eh.

It's a four to five hour drive from here to Sky Harbor Airport (PHX)

Got a few last minute errands to run here first