Hilsea, Portsmouth

Wednesday May 9, Thursday May 10

Wednesday May 9
One thing we don’t seem to lack is the ability to sleep and at 8:30 (as requested), Stephen knocked on our door to make sure we were up.

Stephen and Camille were excited to take us to the Gilbert White House and Garden in Selborne where Stephen  volunteers in the gardens. We headed out the door to the car anxious to be on our way and out of the blue Stephen announced 

“We’re locked out!”

“What do you mean?” asked Camille, alarmed

.

“Well, the door closed and automatically locked and the problem is the key is still in the lock on the other side, so I can’t get the key in the lock from the outside to open the door.”

Incredulously, we checked all the windows, the door into the garage, and the door in the fence on the other side of the house. All were locked. The side door and the back French door were locked as well. The only window open was the top quarter of a tiny little bathroom window. I knew there was no way we could manage to slide through that window without breaking it and ripping our bodies on the broken glass!  It was like being on a deserted island and returning to your boat to find it had sunk to the bottom of the ocean!! Acting quickly, Stephen set off to see if he could rouse a neighbour to use their phone and call a locksmith, and soon he was back with good news. We had about an hour and a half to pass so Ray and Stephen went off to do an errand and Camille and I took Gemma for a walk around a nearby pond. 

A beautiful white swan on its nest

The locksmith arrived almost on the dot of 1:30 p.m. and within 30 seconds had the door open!! It must be quite a common occurrence because he had a huge big S shaped tool that he pushed through the letter box and opened the door from the inside. We had tried this using a coat hangar!!  It only cost 118 pounds – about Cdn 205!! An expensive lesson!

So, after our exciting little adventure, we set off to Selborne and parked behind a pub where we thought we could have lunch. Unfortunately, the pub stopped serving food at 2:00 p.m. and it was exactly 2:00, so the chap told us they were closed for lunch. He followed us out of the pub and muttered under his breath to us “….besides, we’ve sold out of food!!” Odd for a pub! Anyway, undaunted we had a lovely walk through town and stopped at the “Selborne Tea Room.” I suspect it must have been a very busy lunch time for the restaurant owners in town as the woman serving in the Tea Room was a little snippy, and short on “customer service”. That said she was also clearing the tables and wiping them, collecting all the dirty dishes, and wiping up the kitchen area, all on her own. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around to give her a hand. There were two other customers in the little restaurant. So, about 45 minutes after we arrived in the restaurant, we got our. The sandwiches. The food was delicious! 

A house in Selborne covered with wisteria

A beautiful thatched roof

Horse weathervane - Selborne

We entered the Gilbert White House and toured the rooms which are set up for the period of 1640 and illustrate some of the discoveries of Gilbert White who was an avid naturalist. One of the other owners of the home was the explorer Frank Oates who, amongst other world travels including Africa and South America, completed an expedition to the Antarctic with Scott, but who unfortunately died on the trip at the age of 32. It was all extremely interesting.

The old kitchen

View from a window

The ponies on the Antartic expedition

But it was the gardens that I truly felt at home in. I don’t know how much acreage there was, but the grounds spread from the house up to the “hangar” – which is local dialect for a ”wooded hill.” As Stephen works in the gardens he gave us a guided tour of all of the flower beds, the cutting beds, the fruit trees, the hops (which are his responsibility), and the greenhouse. It seems that there has been a recent addition of ground so there are some new projects including the building of a brand new tea house as well as the planting of many plants. The methods used to care for these plants and trees replicate the methods used by Gilbert White, according to his extensive diaries.

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Stephen's hard work digging and planting

The hops

Gemma patiently waiting for us

In the evening, we went to the Blue Bell Inn by the quay in Emsworth for a delicious dinner.

The front at Emsworth

Thursday May 10

 On Thursday Stephen and I got up and went for a run. It was a great route around a couple of big ponds. We met lots of dog walkers and other runners; then it was back to the house, eat breakfast, shower, and eventually we set off for the poppy wave at Portsdown Hill and Fort Nelson. The Fort was built in 1859 to fortify the hill from a feared invasion from the English Channel, which incidentally, never happened. None the less, Fort Nelson is a formidable display of guns from around the world. In the midst of what is probably the parade ground, there is a display of ceramic poppies. I think there are about 5000 poppies in this display. It is quite incredible! Poppies were displayed in other places too, and I think there was one poppy made for every soldier’s death

 

A gun from Mandalay in Burma

On our way back to the house we stopped at Titchfield Abbey in Titchfield. The Abbey was built in 1222 for the Premonstratensian canons, an austere order of priests. In 1537 the Abbey was converted to a mansion and called Place House for one of the courtiers of Henry VIII whom you will remember was responsible for the breakup of the monasteries. It was interesting to study the different styles and products of building, and it was obvious that the building had been altered several times. At the back of the Abbey, in the field, some of the original floor tiles were being unearthed. They are apparently the best example of medieval tiles in England. They were covered up by the courtyard when the abbey became a residence.

Medieval cloister tiles unearthed

See the white dove?

Also on the way home we popped into a local nursery where Camille was able to purchase some plants for her garden. I noticed a beautiful fish garden piece...and some colourful flowers!

We finished off the evening with a lovely chicken dinner, and some delicious cheesecake before tumbling into bed and sleep.

Our days have been all go, and like on the Bruce Trail, it is tough to find time to write up my blog. It is a truly beautiful experience to be able to spend time with our friends across the Atlantic.

Wokingham and Portsmouth

Tuesday May 8, 2018

Ray was up early and off to the chiropractor for some treatment on his neck. He has been in agony over the past couple of days with a really sore neck and despite hot and cold treatments, some gentle stretching, and trying not to aggregate the sore parts, he was making little progress. When he came back he was much more mobile and we soon set off in our little rental car for Portsmouth. Thanks to Toby I had downloaded an app called “Waze” and we used that to find our way. Directions in Canada are so straightforward compared to directions in England. Here the roads are windy, lots of roundabouts, cross roads, and therefore lots of directions to follow. Waze was fantastic! Gave us good warning of the turns, told us about upcoming potholes and other obstructions, and we never once went off route! Thanks Toby!!

We found our way easily to Camille and Stephen’s place in Hilsea and it was lovely to see them again as we hadn’t seen them since 2009 either! Camille was one of my friends from my days in Montreal, and it never ceases to amaze me how we can not see each other for a number of years and then when we get together it is as if we had never been apart, we haven’t missed a beat!

At the moment they are staying in a rental house. They have moved up from Cornwall and bought a new house about 10 minutes away, so over we went to take a look. They are having a bunch of renovations done and just can’t wait to move all their stuff into their new home. Ray and I have a very good understanding of how they are feeling!! The new house will be stunning when the renovations are done, and the gardens are a perfect example of a designed garden exhibiting an array of colourful flowers all year round. I think there is just about every plant I know in the garden, plus an awful lot more I don’t know!!

Camille and Stephen have a beautiful little Sheltie called Gemma who we also saw in 2009. Gemma is now 15. She is very delicate, but still moves well, enjoys her food, and loves cuddles!

We spent the evening chattering and catching up and fixing a few of the problems in the world before rolling into bed and sleep.

Wokingham

Sunday May 6, Monday May 7

On Sunday morning we woke up to a delicious cup of English tea, proudly prepared and delivered by Annabelle, one of Ray's grandchildren. The morning was relaxing catching up with Toby, Keri, Annabelle and Sebastian. How the children have shot up. We last saw them at Alanna's wedding in 2014 where Seb dazzled the guests, including a very young lady, with his break dancing. Now he's all grown up at 10 and into scoring goals in soccer. Annabelle, on the otherhand, is a "tweenager" as Keri says. Growing fast, and elegantly and enjoying all types of athletics. Annabelle and Seb are coming to visit us in Squamish this summer. With their love of outdoor activities, I know they are in for a fun time.

Late morning we set off for a walk through the forest and a picnic! Great fun!! Then we walked a bit more, and got in our 10,000 steps, and came to the Woodland Tea Room a unique spot in the middle of the forest on the edge of fields where horses, donkeys, and cattle grazed peacefully. The specialty of the tea room was millionaires shortbread, a slab of shortbread covered with caramel and topped with chocolate!! I gave half to Ray so only consumed about 1000 calories instead of 2000!! Then we continued our walk through the woods and arrived back home late afternoon. Part of the joy of walking in the woods was the carpet of bluebells surrounding us, bringing back many happy moments from my youth in England. Another part of our joy was being with Toby and his family.

Monday was Bank Holiday here in England, and so a sleep in for all! Another lazy day. Ray and I got our SIM cards, his works, mine doesn’t!! Later we had a walk in the blazing sun to California Country Park. We walked on a trail made out of the rubber from used car tyres mixed with stone. Toby loves to run on this trail as it feels almost spongy and makes a perfect running surface. We came to a lovely pond and watched the ducks and some beautiful white birds that we think are terns. And of course there was the inevitable ice-cream shop and a tasty chocolate mint ice-cream!

In the evening we had a delicious barbequeue. Chicken, sausage, roasted veg, and roasted potato wedges. We sat in the garden and enjoyed the heat wave in England, watched the stars, the jets going into Heathrow, and finally climbed the stairs to bed.

The Island of Jersey

Thursday May 3, Friday May 4, and Saturday May 5

The Island’s history is fascinating dating back about 250,000 years. Latterly, Jersey was part of the Duchy of Normandy and has enjoyed self government since 1204 .  Both England and France had an influence on the Island and around 1259 they each gave up their claims to Jersey and although Jersey was never a part of the Kingdom of England , it did appoint a Warden to govern. Now it is internationally known as a “territory” for which Britain is responsible, in other words a “crown dependency”. It has its own legislative assembly with the power to make many laws, but the UK also has the power to pass legislation affecting Jersey provided it submits the proposed legislation to Jersey for comment. The Chief Minister is the leader. There aren’t really any political parties but rather the members of the government stand independently. It wasn’t given the opportunity to vote on Brexit. Of course, the history is more complicated than this, but this is the gist.

One of the first things we noticed about the Island of Jersey was the prominence of the German occupation in WWII. Around the Island you find “towers” and gun battlements,  erected by the Germans to protect the Island. Apparently the British withdrew their garrisons and Jersey was left unprotected. So, the Germans occupied it.

Over the 3 days we spent with them, Kathleen and Allan showed us the many facets of Jersey. We arrived on Thursday late afternoon and after settling in we headed out to Corbiere Phare which offered spectacular views over the Atlantic Ocean….and yes….most of the place names are French.  We had a table by the window with a panoramic view of the lighthouse and the sinking sun.

Remnants from German Occupation

Sunset on the Atlantic

Friday and Saturday we spent touring the Island visiting many highlights such as St. Helier where about a third of the population lives and is the capital of the Island. It lies along St. Aubin’s Bay opposite an island of rock known as l’Islet and has a beautiful stone walled harbour. Grouvile where Harry Vardon the well known golfer lived. Gorey village which is protected by the medieval battlements of Mount Orgueil Castle.

Kathleen, Allan, and Ray

Ray

Gorey Village

Gorey Village and Mount Orgueil

St. Mary's

A Quiet Country Walk

A Scenic View

A Curious Jersey Cow

We saw many other beautiful spots around the Island and two of my favourites were Groz Nez with its dramatic coastline and the Fisherman’s Chapel by the Church of St. Brelade which dates back to the 600s. The grounds consisted of a large cemetery, and beautiful old oak trees.  The walls of the chapel showed the remaining paintings which had at one time been quite a storyteller but had been covered over and were now in the process of being restored. There was a lovely tale about Le Perquage – an “ancient sanctuary path” which at one stage was contained in every parish to allow prisoners to escape to the beach below and a waiting boat. When they reached the top of the stairs and looked down over the bay, these prisoners must have thought they had opened the gate to heaven!

At Groz Nez

At Groz Nez

Church of St. Brelade

Inside The Fisherman's Chapel

The View to the Beach from the Gate

Cemetery

Inside the Church of St. Brelade

Friday evening was very special. I have never met my cousin’s children, and Kathleen arranged a “family dinner” in a private room in a pub. It was a really exciting time. There were Craig and Sharon and their son Jensen, and Lindsay and Matthew and their daughter Emily. The kids played happily under the enormous  dining table while the adults talked, exchanged stories, and got to know each other around the top of the table. It was huge for Ray and I that they all gave up a Friday evening to be with us.

Allan, Kathleen and Jensen

Sharron, Craig and Jenson

Emily and Jenson - above the Table

Lindsay, Matthew, and Emily

All of us from right to left: Craig, Sharron, Lindsay, Allan, Kathleen,
Me, Matthew, Jenson, Emily, Ray

A little church in St. Brelade

On Saturday we continued our tour of the island and saw the stunning Ouens Bay before having lunch at Colleen’s in the beautiful sanded bay of Greve de Lecq.

Sadly, it was soon time to head to the airport and say goodbye to my Jersey family.

Our 40 minute British Airways flight left just after 5:00 pm and by 6:00 pm we were picking up our left luggage at Gatwick, and getting organized in the rental car, ready to set off to Wokingham. What a shenanigans! I can’t believe we were quite as “incapable” as it seemed to us we were. We had a lovely drive around southern England, and I reckon we must have gone about 2 hours out of our way. We didn’t have GPS in the car because we thought we would have a One SIM that would allow us to access data. My cell, was unlocked and without a sim card. It seemed that the One SIM wasn’t working. So, I downloaded the directions to Toby and Keri’s house in the terminal and hoped I didn’t “close” the program as we travelled. I didn’t, but for some reason we went off course twice i.e. went the wrong way on the correct highway. So, with a lot of correction, a phone call to Toby, and a lot of cursing in the car, we finally made it to Toby’s. By this time of course, Keri and Annabelle had gone to bed. Stalwartly, Toby and Sebastian remained up. A flood of relief swept through my body when Toby opened the front door! Annabelle and Keri staggered down the stairs and it was hugs all around. So good to see them all.

We had a quick snack, a glass of wine, and off to bed to sleep and dream about all our escapades so far!

The Journey Begins

Wednesday May 2, 2018

Five o'clock in the morning is no fun....nowadays!! Different when I was working!! But then, it really isn't bad at all. We could hear the early morning calls of the birds trilling in the forest outside the house and as we showered and made coffee and packed the last bits and pieces in our luggage, until the swell of rising bird sounds filled the air and our heads. Alanna drove us the three minute drive to the Squamish Adventure Centre where we caught the 6:45 a.m. Pacific Coach bus to "YVR", aka Vancouver Airport.

Vancouver Airport

Our Air Transat flight boarded efficiently by "section", and we squeezed into our allotted space for the journey to Toronto. The plane was a little tawdry, obviously old, and in need of a rest. None the less, the flight was smooth and uneventful and we landed in Toronto ahead of time.

From the plane Over Rockies

Filling three hours of lay-over was effortless; finding the departure gate, eating some lunch, and window shopping.

We arrived in the departure lounge in good time, and soon heard our names called over the loud speaker. The lounge was packed with people, and we, along with about 20 or so others, feared the worst; we were going to be bumped off the flight! But no! There had been an equipment change and our seats were being re-allocated. Phew!! We walked up the steps into an enormous cavity, very modern, very clean, and hooray....lots of sitting room!! I think we had been upgraded!! Then the light show began, and we were given a taste of red, green, blue, and purple lights dancing throughout the airy space! Very impressive. The cabin crew treated us as if we were in a first class hotel, and we were given dinner, with a complimentary glass of wine; then I watched "Pieds Nus dans l'Aube," listened to my iPod, and slept to the muffled sound of the roaring jet engines. We glided stealthily through the night. Dawn  came quickly and like an eagle soaring on a thermal over a Caribbean beach stretching into a blue ocean we arrived in England.

We had a slightly longer lay over in Gatwick Airport before catching a much smaller British Airways' plane and a 40 minute flight into Jersey. And there just outside the baggage lounge we met Kathleen, my cousin, and her husband Alan. Huge hugs! It had been too long since we last saw them.  Immediately, we identified a problem: "Kathleen's" name is "Elizabeth Kathleen Anne;" my name is "Elizabeth Anne;" she calls me "Anne," I call her "Kathleen." No problem!! But in our current lives Kathleen is called "Liz" and I am called "Liz." We immediately imagined how difficult this was going to be as I met Kathleen's son and daughter and their respective spouses and children!! Fast forward to tonight. Emily, Kathleen's daughter Lindsay's daughter, solved the problem. She came up to me and said in her best British accent, "I am Emily." "Hi Emily," and before I got any further she said, "your Lizzie," and there was the fix!!  Oh for the uncomplicated minds of a four+ year old!!!

I am going to post this now, but when I get more time, I'll add some pictures and tell all about this wonderful stay with my cousin on this beautiful island of Jersey.