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Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Sisters and a 1st Birthday trip to Rye

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, Fun Stuff, Holidays, seaside towns of Britain, Travel, tagged a visit to 1066 country, family, sisters, travel in the UK on October 24, 2016| 1 Comment »

My sister Sioux came to live and work in the UK last year in November. The time has flown and she has travelled far and wide in the last 11 months. This is her birthday month (I won’t give her age away 😉 ), but it is her 1st birthday in the UK. She decided some months ago that she wanted to visit somewhere special for her birthday; initially a trip to the Isle of Wight was planned….but after seeing an article on Rye – Mermaid Street in particular, she decided that this was where she wanted to go.

Mermaid Street in Rye

And so the plans were made.

I was to join her and so that we could make the most of the trip and explore the area, my daughter lent me her car; Fiona. With 4 days and a car, we made the most of every minute.

Sisters – happy birthday to you; Sioux. I’m delighted I could join you 🙂

a day trip to Hastings

a day in Rye

making the most of our last day

We visited churches, explored castles, admired some amazing views, ate good food, played scrabble, photographed just about every house in Rye, watched the sunrise and the sunset,

sunset at Dungeness – the ends of the earth

laughed and exchanged stories, and watched the footie in a pub LOL (she’s a Liverpool supporter!).

This is the first time in 58 years that we have been on holiday together without parents, step-parents, siblings, family or children……just the two of us. We had a great time 🙂

Happy birthday Sioux!

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autumn’s colours

Posted in around the UK, Inspiration, Travel, tagged autumn colours, autumn leaves, poems by robert frost on October 23, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Gathering Leaves by: Robert Frost (1874-1963)

autumn colours in Canterbury

SPADES take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I mage a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight;
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who’s to say where
The harvest shall stop?

work and travel as a carer

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nothing much to see in Hampton

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged garricks temple to shakespeare, hampton, outdoor activities on the river thames, sailing on the river thames on October 20, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Whilst working for the client in Shepperton the family took her out for lunch on the Sunday so I had an extra hour for my break.

One of my policies when working in a new area is to not only explore the area I’m in, but where possible to explore further afield….so with this in mind I hopped onto the train and went to explore Hampton.

things to see in Hampton

I was expecting to find some interesting ‘things to see’ and although the older buildings are really attractive, it’s mostly suburbia and a HUGE reservoir/water works dominates the scene. Makes sense since the River Thames is nearby, but it didn’t add to the atmosphere!!

I had checked google maps before setting out and the Thames looked quite close to the station…..it wasn’t!! LOL So near yet so far, the river was mostly hidden behind the reservoir. After 30 minutes of walking I finally reached a stretch of the river I could actually access.

sailing at Hampton

I love the river and any opportunity to explore different sections is welcomed, and so I did. I came across Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare and suddenly I realised that in fact I had walked this stretch a number of times in the past (when we lived in Twickenham).

Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare in Hampton

By now my time was running out and as the trains only run once an hour to Shepperton I decided to rest there a while and phoned my sister (in South Africa) for her birthday. 🙂 15 years ago at much the same time I was saying happy birthday to her in person in Dublin

rowing on the River Thames at Hampton

I had a lovely view of the river and managed to capture a few scenes of people going by on skiffs and canal boats.

a canal boat goes by along the River Thames

I also noticed what looked like a little cruiser type boat on the opposite bank that looked like it had sunk….

my ship has sunk in Hampton

Then it was back to the station. On my way, and noticed a row of three houses on the High Street named: River View Cottages….uhm, yes well…..at the time they were built they probably had a view of the river, but that is no longer the case. If they stood on stilts and stretched their necks while standing on on the roof they might still have a glimpse ‘view’ of the river.

So Hampton was a bit of a disappointment, but at least I’ve been there and done that…no need to return. Sorry Hampton. Although I haven’t anything more to add…this history board could add a little interest. The dates of these places always fascinates me.

Hampton Ferry & Molesey Hurst

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Broken by the job…..

Posted in around the UK, It's my life, lifestyle, Travel, tagged health facts, health warnings, my life as a carer, travel and my job, travelling around the uk, work and health, work and travelling in the united kingdom, working as a carer on October 19, 2016| Leave a Comment »

I was recently working at a position in Shepperton

Old Shepperton

…..lovely lady, light cooking, not much to do in terms of housework, and not much by way of shopping…..but and this is a BIG BUT….it was a killer from a physical aspect and I eventually felt like I was broken. Every joint in my body was aching, my shoulders were aching – even my toes and feet were aching. The reason for this is mobility and lack thereof: I had to mobilise and transfer the lady up to 25 times a day….okay so the agency said she has a ‘Sara Steady’ to move her around, but what they didn’t mention is that even with wheels, the weight of moving her around the house, hauling the frame over the ledges between rooms, manoeuvering the frame into position countless times a day and the morning and afternoon and evening manual handling of a 9.5 stone lady who is semi-paralysed on the left hand side is excruciatingly exhausting and after 4.5 days I felt broken.

This type of role is not new, I’ve been in loads of similar positions before where there is a lot of manual handling and sheer physical graft. The training staff at the annual M&H sessions always say…oh, just do this, or just do that. They use us, the trainees….able bodied persons who instinctively assist and aren’t a dead weight, as the ‘dummy’ for demonstrating. Okay so fine. But although they always say ‘we realise it’s different when you’re on the job’, seldom is our physical health given too much consideration when placing us at assignments. We are given all sorts of tips and ideas to use to help our clients mobilise, which is all well and good if the client is unwilling or unable to position themselves or move themselves into a position that is suitable for us to then use that idea or tip. Many are unable to shift ‘first one leg, then the other’ because they are a) semi-paralysed bearing the full weight of their bodies, or b) too heavy from not getting any exercise due to their particular disability (obviously not their fault) or c) refuse to have the Carer use a strap/belt to lift them, preferring instead to ‘please can I use your arm’. If you say no, we’ve been trained to do it this or that way, they get into a sulk and then you find that they ‘don’t like you, or you’re not suitable’ = black mark against your name. Either that or you get the same old story ‘the last girl didn’t mind’ or managed alright. Hmmmm.

I’ve been doing this ‘job’ for the last 14 years. In that time, amongst all the other manual handling positions I’ve had to manage, I’ve had to push a client up a hill in a wheelchair because his son wanted his father to ‘go shopping with you so he can choose what he wants’ giving little thought to the fact that pushing a dead-weight and groceries up a hill in a wheelchair is extremely difficult and hard on the body of a Carer who weighs less than the client, wheelchair and groceries put together!!! In that instance it was Wembley Hill.

Last year I was at a position where I had to wheel someone who weighed 12 stone across a deep pile carpet in a hoist. The family just didn’t ‘get it’ when I said it was too heavy and after a few others choice situations at that particular assignment, they lodged a complaint about me…nice one, kill myself on the job and invite a complaint. More recently I was working, again with a hoist, and as I slipped my arm beneath the client’s leg to pull the sling strap through I twisted my wrist…I thought I had broken it. Fortunately I hadn’t, but it hurt like hell. But I didn’t give up, I strapped my wrist up, paid more attention to how I was using my hands and carried on till the end of the assignment…..that’s what you do. The alternative is quitting and losing pay and the agency usually don’t have any other assignments for you, as well as which they don’t always take kindly to their Carers quitting. Fortunately I was working with a double up carer and not on my own so at no stage was the client’s safety compromised. When I got home after that particular assignment I went to A&E and had x-rays done, and although nothing was broken it seems I damaged a ligament?? And that only heals with time.

I’ve had to lift heavy legs off and onto beds more times than I care to remember, allow a disabled person to grip my elbow while they raise themselves up coz even if you had a mobility belt/strap, they don’t have the proper bed, the right equipment or the strength to manoeuvre and due to their weight you can’t get the belt positioned properly under their body. Moving a 9 stone plus disabled person whether in a wheelchair, in a hoist, on a Sara Steady or using a slide sheet is exceptionally strenuous on your joints and body in general and eventually takes it’s toll….hence the damaged ligament!

14 years later and I am broken.

After 10 days at this last assignment I caved in, I reached a point where I could barely lift my arms and walking was agony….my poor toes were sore!! Since I really didn’t want to compromise my health any further or the safety of my client, I phoned the agency and asked to be replaced. Thankfully I got through to someone who was understanding (not always the case), and within two days I was handing over to someone new and on my way home. The family weren’t quite so understanding. The next time I hear the words “but the last Carer managed alright” I think I’ll spit!!!!

We do not come out of an Ikea flat-pack!

The bugger of it is that I’m heading towards my mid-60’s and won’t be able to manage these ‘heavy’ assignments for much longer…ergo my income will drop, which means I’ll have to work more days each month and my lifestyle will be reduced as a result – I currently work between 14-21 days per month; on duty 22 hours a day, of which 7-8 hours is for sleep, and my ‘weekends’ are the days I’m home….once on an assignment, it’s exceptionally rare to get more than 2 hours a day off. Some months I get a 3 or 4 day weekend. It’s not as if we Carers earn a load of money anyway, but once you start taking on the lighter roles, the daily rate drops, the number of assignments are fewer and so the process, like my body, gets broken.

I left the job just on 6 days ago now and I’m still aching…..darn!! LOL or not. Maybe I’ll do a Forrest Gump……I hear Orkney is quite lovely!! 🙂

On the plus side I got to explore another area of the UK and although the new part of the town itself wasn’t brilliant, the old town was quaint and pretty

Old Shepperton

and to my joy the River Thames was nearby; I managed to walk there a couple of times during my breaks which was a real bonus.

The River Thames at Shepperton

River Thames and Shepperton Lock

There’s always a plus side 🙂

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Smugglers Tunnels in Broadstairs

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, Historical, It's my life, seaside towns of Britain, Travel, tagged Bleak House Broadstairs, Charles Dickens in Broadstairs, Cream Tea at Bleak House, David Copperfield Charles Dickens, history of Broadstairs, Smugglers Tunnels in Broadstairs on October 18, 2016| 1 Comment »

My daughter and I went to Bleak House on Saturday afternoon for a Cream Tea and to tour the Smugglers Tunnels beneath the house…Bleak House was once known as Fort House and Broadstairs was a hotbed of smuggling with many notorious smugglers once captured, being deported to Australia.

smugglers tunnels and afternoon tea at Bleak House

If you wake at midnight and hear a horse’s feet, Don’t go drawing back the blind, or looking in the street…

In 1723 Daniel Defoe wrote of a visit “Broadstairs is a small fishing village of 300 souls, of which 27 follow the occupation of fishing…” You can surmise therefore that the rest were gainfully ’employed’ in other businesses…..in fact, beneath much of Broadstairs is a warren of smugglers tunnels, mostly closed off now. Oh how I’d love to have access to those tunnels 🙂

afternoon tea and smugglers tunnels at bleak house

This chap had been ‘redcapped’ for being an informer, as lucrative a business as smuggling, with the possibility of a £500 reward for information.

‘Redcapping’ – A Revenue Spy who broke the smuggler’s unwritten law were dealt with in different ways. The Informer would be staked out on the beach at low tide with a RED LANTERN by his head. The smugglers would then watch to see that the spy was not released till the lantern had gone out.

Broadstairs is located on the east coast of Kent on what is/was known as the Isle of Thanet; an island 2 miles out to sea – the water separating the island from the mainland known as the Watsum Channel. After the channel silted up, the land which includes Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate is now part of Kent County.

The Romans considered the Watsum Channel very important and built forts at Reculver and Richborough to protect it. In 449 The Vikings (after which the little bay is now named), under Hengist, landed at Thanet, rowed up the Watsum Channel and attacked Canterbury.

Broadstairs is just filled to the brim with history. Since Roman times and the Vikings Broadstairs has seen the likes of Wellington’s troops camped out and Napoleon’s Standard was presented here in 1815 after the British won the Battle of Waterloo. Charles Dickens lived in Broadstairs on numerous occasions and one of the most well-known is Bleak House where he wrote much of David Copperfield. As part of the tour we were able to visit the study where he sat and wrote while gazing out the windows across the English Channel.

the desk where Charles dickens sat and wrote David Copperfield

Previously known as Fort House, Bleak House, as it looks now, was remodelled in 1911. We’ve been there a number of times for Cream Tea but this time we decided to explore the smugglers caves beneath. Absolutely awesome. I’m guessing that since the land is chalk it was pretty easy to tunnel away and create the caves and Smuggler’s tunnels. The chalk cliffs extends all the way from the Thames estuary as far as the White Cliffs of Dover and thence to the Isle of Wight.

smugglers tunnels and a cream tea at Bleak House

The Cream Tea (which is what we normally have) is delicious and the scones are fresh and yummy. I can recommend a visit to Bleak House for tea and do be sure to include the tour of the tunnels and Dickens’ study…at £4 per person for the tour, it’s a steal 😉 Although you can order the Cream Tea on a whim…NB if you wish to partake of the Afternoon Tea at Bleak House you would need to book in advance.

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Happy 15th Anniversary

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, Fun Stuff, It's my life, Travel, tagged becoming a citizen of the uk, happy 15th anniversary, life and living in the uk, relocating to the uk, seeing the queen at windsor, travelling in the uk on October 8, 2016| Leave a Comment »

15 years ago today I left South Africa…..never to look back as it turns out.

the current South African flag; no longer a colony but still part of the Commonwealth

My departure came about in quite a convoluted way and as they say; ‘the planets were aligned’. A number of major life events occurred within a short space of a few months and I then found myself on a plane heading to the northern hemisphere.

Travel to make something happen

June (sometime) 2001: the company I was working for went into liquidation because the two owners had a falling out. The liquidators kept me on to help collect outstanding monies (after all that was my job), besides which I turned up at the offices every day even though the company was in liquidation; so seeing my determination….I had another 3 months of work.

July 2001: sometime round about now my sister who was living in Ireland at the time said she’d love for someone to fly over and join her and hubby to celebrate a milestone birthday ; 30 years of age!! Of course I volunteered….for sure! 🙂

August 15th 2001: my daughter attained her ‘coming of age’ – 21 years and you get the ‘Key of Life’ in SA and officially; your freedom! Technically you’re an adult from 18 when you qualify for a drivers license. We had a wonderful party for her on a boat in Cape Town harbour with bells, balloons, a band (her Dad who is a musician sang to her) and a smashing meal.

September 30th 2001: the liquidators signed off on the rest of the debt and I was free to go.

October 2nd 2001: Ailing carrier Swissair has run out of cash and suspended all its flights “indefinitely”. wtf???? I’m due to fly on the 8th!!! So began the fight to get on a plane to Europe regardless.

October 8th 2001: passport to freedom in my hand, I bounced my way through customs, thrilled, excited and terrified in equal measure to be flying to Europe….with SA Airways!

October 9th 2001: I landed first in Zurich in-transit to London, then after flying and crying across Europe I landed at London City Airport at which stage the terror set in – how would I get to Heathrow? But I did….first a bus and then tube on the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow and thus to Dublin Airport – happy birthday to Caroline….it was awesome that I could arrive in Ireland on her special day 🙂

Caroline and Ewart

The timeline of events and what happened first and which decisions were made when are lost in the mists of time….but from a date perspective….the above is more or less what happened when. In the meanwhile, between being retrenched from my job, making the decision to fly to Ireland and wondering what to do with my house, I scurried about collecting the necessary paperwork for my visitors visa, sold my car to my daughter, started sorting out my belongings and getting rid of much stuff, making the heartbreaking decision to have my kitties adopted (a friend took 4 of them, one had to be put to sleep due to a nasty virus that was eating her up 😦 ), making my flight bookings with SwissAir, only for them to go run out of cash at the time, subsequently visiting the airport and refusing to leave till they booked me onto another flight (finally after much persistence they got me onto SA Airways), then deciding what to take and what not…..I was heading into the NH winter (and it was as cold and wet as they said it would be),

having fun in the snow in London

going into work everyday for three months knowing that once I finished for the liquidators that was it…no job to come back to. Finally it was all systems go and my daughter took over the house and car, moved all my belongings lock stock and barrel into storage (and it was still there till May this year hahaha)

a household reduced to a few boxes

all my possessions…

kitties settled into new home, job finished, suitcase packed, visa entered, passport stamped…I was on my way.

irish blessing st patrick jonathan swift gullivers travels

may the sun shine warm on your face, may the wind be always at your back

I cannot tell you how excited I was.

The flight was as full as it could be. I’m sure they had some folks stacked in the hold!!! LOL

After a long flight we landed safe and sound in Zurich. I bought a pastry and hot chocolate, sent a postcard and made my way to the boarding gate for the next leg of my journey.

I’m very interested in and keen on WW2 history. As we flew from Zurich to London I looked out at the blue skies and remembered all the air-battles that had taken place in that airspace, of all the people who died in the skies and countries below…of the people who fought for their freedom from all parties involved…and cried and cried, just about all the way to London….I was overwhelmed!

Finally we landed at City of London airport and after making my way to the tube as we came out of the underground at Hounslow I looked out the window of the train and very clearly in my head I said “Oh! I could live here!”. The chimney pots reminded me of Mary Poppins…only my most favourite film of all time…..I fell in love with a city.

Keep Calm and Rule Britannia

Next leg of the journey was finding my way to Aer Lingus for the flight to Ireland. By now I was exhausted and so excited I could barely contain myself.

St Patrick's Day cupcakes...Guiness flavour!!

St Patricks’s Day cupcakes – Guinness flavour!!!

Finally we lifted off and I had my first real glimpse of London and the River Thames. Little did I realise that just on 9 years later I would be totally besotted with the city and the river that runs through it.

London from the air

A passion that has taken me into nooks and crannies, along streets so full of history you can barely walk 3 steps without being amazed and participating in historical events the like of which I had never even imagined; I’ve spent more than 3 Days in London 😉

And then finally we flew over the Irish sea and so to Dublin. Seeing my sister and her hubby at the airport was thrilling, and so emotional…we cried enough tears of joy to refill the River Liffey should it ever run dry.

river liffey penny farthing bridge dublin ireland

the Penny Farthing Bridge and River Liffey, Dublin, Ireland

And thereafter history was made. I adored Ireland. I stayed with my sister and her husband and we had the most amazing time, travelling everywhere.

having fun with Caroline & Ewart – in those days I could still climb walls!!

I swear we visited just about every county in the south of Ireland bar a few which I visited on the next 8 trips to Ireland over the next few years….till they eventually went back to South Africa.

a trip up Table Mountain South Africa – me and the kid sister

a trip up Table Mountain South Africa – me and the outlaw

Winter was as cold and wet as they had said it would be, and as miserable as I had not imagined. I was due to fly back to South Africa on the 4th December. We went for dinner at BLT in Dublin. I cried and cried and said “I don’t want to go back! I don’t want to leave!” IMG-20141203-WA0005

So I didn’t 🙂 I just didn’t go back. Instead I spent another two months loving Ireland and making the decision that I wanted to live forever and ever in the Northern Hemisphere. I wasn’t able to work in Ireland so instead just before my visa ran out I flew back across the pond to London, acquired the necessary paperwork to apply for my ancestral visa and after two weeks flew back to South Africa, finalised the sale of my house, and flew back to Ireland on the 22nd April 2002.

And I’m still here!!! I’m now a British Citizen, settled more than happily into my new persona and celebrating still my freedom.

at my citizenship ceremony in Maidstone 25.02.2016

I love this country, I could never live anywhere else. I’ve achieved three of my dreams; visiting Venice, a birthday in Paris and seeing the White Cliffs of Dover (once I got my UK Passport). I’ve celebrated my 50th (Paris) and my 60th since I’ve been here (helicopter flight over London – gift from my daughter), travelled to the USA 3 times and Europe a great number of times, attended the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, seen the Queen in Windsor on her 90th birthday and for the last 6 years at Trooping the Colour in London, attended Kate & William’s wedding (as a spectator), been to the London 2012 Olympics, flown over London in a helicopter, travelled the length and breadth of the UK, been to more villages, towns and cities and castles than I can remember, attended numerous traditional and annual events in the city, and thanks to my friend Joe been a passenger on the Trinity Tide

me on the Trinity Tide for the Green man event in January

and amongst all of that…..my daughter joined me here in 2003! Best gift ever.

me and Cémanthe

Happy 15th anniversary to me!

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Life’s a beach…..

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, It's my life, lifestyle, seaside towns of Britain, Travel, tagged lifes a beach, living around the uk, living in broadstairs, seaside towns of Britain, viking bay in broadstairs, visit england on October 6, 2016| 1 Comment »

Two years ago my daughter up sticks and moved to Broadstairs. I’d heard of the place but never been there.

Broadstairs – a seaside town in Kent

My heart wrenched when I left London – I rent a room from her for the times I’m not working, so I had a choice of finding somewhere in London to live or continuing our previous arrangement. Saying goodbye to London and the River Thames was really hard.

view of the Thames from Twickenham Bridge…I loved this view

I had many. many happy memories of our time in Twickenham/Richmond and spent so many hours walking alongside, photographing and just staring at the Thames that I could live another life, it is a truly beautiful area and stretch of my favourite river.

I camped out in an empty house for two days after she left on the 4th, but finally my time ran out and 2 years ago today, with suitcases and bags in hand (travel lightly you say!! How???), struggling to drag and carrying my load along the sidewalk and across roads to the station, I finally arrived at Broadstairs; 3 train journeys and 3 hours later.

my luggage – from St Margarets to Broadstairs

What an amazing place…….and that beach!!!! Our lives are spent walking along that….

a view of the bay from the cliff top

The house is a tiny, charming little place, a home where we’ve since acquired a kitty by the name of Elsie, a rescue cat, who after months of lots of TLC has settled in like she always lived there!

Elsie waiting for her adopted Mama to come home LOL

Elsie on the windowsill catching the breeze 🙂

The town a treasure trove of history and places to explore……

a delightful seaside shop in Broadstairs

Bleak House, Broadstairs

this is Bob the Boat…..so named coz it’s cute and bobs about in the water. 😉

colourful beach huts in Broadstairs

Viking Bay – Broadstairs

scenes of Broadstairs and Viking Bay

…..but the best thing about living in Broadstairs are the sunrise and sunset.

Now we don’t always get to see either of these due to the inclement UK weather, but every now and then a real charmer puts on a display like no other. Winter is the best time of year to watch the sunrise (for me that is) coz it comes up later and I’m not an early bird…although I have been known to drag on my clothes, eyes still sticky with sleep, teeth unbrushed, grab the keys and dash along to the esplanade….sans my first cup of tea!!! which is a miracle, but some days the miracle is happening on the horizon.

sunrise over Viking Bay, Broadstairs

We’ve watched many a sunrise and quite a few sunsets since moving to Broadstairs. We’ve watched calm days when the water is so still you feel you could walk across it and other where the wind lashed the waves into a fury as they lash out and crash against the harbour wall.

sunset over Viking Bay, Broadstairs

Viking Bay and the beach that ‘belongs’ to Broadstairs certainly is in my opinion the most beautiful of all the beaches/bays in the area, is a constant gift of beauty. It is the first thing I head over to when I get home and usually the last thing I wander over to look at before I leave on my next assignment. It is a constant draw and even when we’re home, we walk along the esplanade just about every day.

beautiful Viking Bay, Broadstairs

I have explored the streets and museums, eaten at the tearooms and restaurants, walked this way and that along the coast; either northwestwards to Margate or south to Ramsgate. It is the start and end point of my practice Camino walks and has been like a cosy blanket in my memory when I am working away and longing for my bed and the familiarity of the streets.

wish you were here….

Now, two years later, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. It has become home……just in time for my daughter to up sticks and move again LOL At the moment she is house-hunting with a plan to buy her own home. I guess in the foreseeable future I will be landing somewhere else to watch the sunrise and sunset….who knows where?

So long as there is a beach 🙂 Life is after all……a beach!!

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Work and Travel

Posted in Castles of UK and Ireland, Holidays, It's my life, photography, Travel, tagged notjustagranny, travel and work, travel in the UK on September 24, 2016| 4 Comments »

One of the benefits of my job as I’ve mentioned before is that I get to travel around the country…not just in England but Scotland and occasionally Wales too. Since 2007 I’ve travelled east, south, north and west of the UK. In that time I’ve pretty much been to nearly every county in England, a few in Scotland and over the border into Wales, then out again. In the years between 2002 and 2007 I mostly worked in London, and that of course has become my passion. However, it is brilliant to be able to travel to new places and see the country.

uk-map A while ago I was working in East Sussex, not the first time in this county, but in a new town. I was chatting to my client, sharing travel stories (she’s also quite well travelled), and just for fun I had a look at the map of Britain and listed all the counties I had either worked in, or travelled to during the course of my job…..i.e. some clients enjoys driving so we get to travel far and wide. Needless to say I do the driving 😉

I have been to villages so small that they don’t even have a Post Office never mind a traffic light or stop street, where the evening traffic jam is sheep going home! I’ve worked in numerous towns, and quite a few cities…namely London of course…I always jump at the chance to work in London although I’m not sure why since my breaks are so short I seldom get time to do much exploring…but still it’s a constant thrill to me to wake up in the city that never sleeps. I’ve also visited a few counties in Scotland and Wales, but those in the capacity of a tourist, rather than for work. For the purposes of this article, I’ll stick to those I’ve been to for work….

So heading round the country, these are the counties I have worked in and travelled to; 27 so far:

ENGLAND

Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex

and my favourite county of all Suffolk….amazing!!!

Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire

Beautiful Cambridge and surrounding areas

Shropshire, Herefordshire,

work and travel as a carer herefordshire

quirky and fabulous Weobley

Gloucestershire, Wiltshire

the views from St Briavels are hard to match

Somerset, Devon,

another of my favourite counties, Somerset is splendid

one of my favourite counties – Devon is on the Jurrasic coast…

Warwickshire, Hampshire

as with Kent, there are many farms in Hampshire as well as fabulous villages

Oxfordshire

the bells ring out in Oxford….stunning city

Surrey

pretty as a picture, and snow…

West Sussex

West Sussex has a most amazing array of historical towns…and quite a few castles

East Sussex

Stunning houses and pebble beaches

Kent

the garden of England – Kent is mostly farmlands and fields

Greater London

wonderful, wonderful London I’ve worked in so many areas, I’ve lost track..

Worcestershire – which is the latest and where I am now 🙂

Worcestershire…..what a delightful surprise, and those hills

view of the Malvern Piory and countryside of Great Malvern, Worcestershire

I’ve visited Cornwall, Dorset and Warwickshire whilst working, but not yet actually worked in those counties. I’ve travelled through (by train), but not actually stepped on the soil of 4 others: Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland…I will have to address that pretty soon!! I have however noticed that there are still quite a few counties to go, particularly in the Midlands…see you there 😉

SCOTLAND

Inverness-shire and Ross and Cromarty – I’ve worked in both these counties and truly Scotland is amazing.

One of the most advantageous aspects of this job of mine is that I go to places I would probably never have considered, simply because they’re not on the ‘Visit England’ tourist trail so to speak. However, these places invariably have a fascinating history and if you visit the one thing you will find in every hamlet, village, town or city…..the church, you will learn the oftentimes extraordinary history of the area…sometimes stretching back as far as pre-Norman times. Reading the epitaphs and headstones, you gain a fascinating insight to the history of the area. I’ve even been into a church where there are marks on the entrance where knights of yore used to sharpen their swords!!! Mind-blowing.

My most amazing experience was in Midhurst. As town names go it’s fairly simple, but did you know they have a castle!!!

Midhurst….one of my most delightful discoveries

caravan

I’m desperately keen to travel the width and breadth of the UK and initially I had planned on buying a campervan…those cute little symbols of the 60’s, but since I will be spending a lot of time travelling and living in the thing, I’d prefer something I can actually stand up in…so the search is on. It is now my goal to buy a motor-home within the next few years…by my 65^th birthday in fact, & then travel the width, breadth, and length of this country…visiting outlying islands, historic cathedrals, ancient villages, quirky pubs and the furtherest points of the island; north, south, east & west.

Once I find what I am looking for, I shall be off. I plan to travel and work, work and travel. Mostly in the spring, summer and autumn months and in winter I shall head to Europe. What a plan!!! Why not come along, travel with me and see all the wonderful things I shall see.

If you have any suggestions of quirky traditions or places you think I should add to my list, then please leave a comment and I’ll add them to my itinerary.

Have a fab day.

and talking of quirky, here is a blog you should definitely follow. The Quirky Traveller

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Camino 2016; My Way

Posted in Camino 2016, family and relationships, It's my life, tagged baby boomers travel, Camino de Santiago, have passport will travel, health and travel, travelling on July 8, 2016| 4 Comments »

When there’s something you’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and suddenly you make the decision to do it and it’s nerve-wracking…..which is weird really but there it is – I’ve finally put a date to my Camino.

It’s been a dream of mine to do ‘The Camino’ for a very long time. I’m not sure when exactly I first became aware of The Camino, that, is lost in the mists of time. But some years ago my father planned to do The Camino on his bike and suddenly I was like….Oh okay….then during some visit or other to the UK he and I discussed the possibility of doing it together but due to the fact that he wanted to cycle the route but I wanted to walk…unfortunately we never did get that off the ground.

My Dad and I in 2011, the last photo ever taken of us together

Although he did do it again last year with one of my younger sisters, albeit not very successfully apparently as by then he was in the early stages of dementia and not only lost his passport but was terribly slow and struggled along. But since he was in his mid-80’s by then, he could be forgiven for struggling. And of course he has since passed away (not connected to the Camino).

Doing the Camino was one of the ‘things’ on my ‘list of things to do’ once I got my British Passport 🙂 and like the sorting out of my possessions in South Africa the time has now come. And so project #Camino2016 has begun!

I immediately started doing some research on routes and best time of the year to travel etc etc. What I discovered is that there are numerous routes besides ‘The Way’!!! I finally decided on the Portuguese Coastal Route starting from Porto. Besides the fact that it is relatively flat in comparison to The Frances route which is 790kms and traverses mountain ranges, I have always wanted to go to Portugal so this was a great way to combine the two. I would love to go to Lisbon of course, but since it’s a lot further and I don’t have unlimited time, I settled on Porto as my launching point. However, on the plus side Porto looks amazing, so I’m really excited about starting there.

I’m planning on spending 3 days in Porto to explore then on the fourth day I shall head over to the Cathedral and start my 285km Camino journey from there.

I joined a group on Facebook; exclusively for women, the group allows women who have already walked the Camino, no matter which route, to offer advice and encouragement to those planning their journey. It allows us to ask for help or information and allows women who are already walking to post photos and tips and hints on what to wear, where to stay, what to expect en-route, what to look out for (like insane gropers), where to eat and also just some of the most stunning and amazing photos. It’s certainly made me impatient to start!!! LOL I’ve also starting studying photos on Instagram. Ohmygosh! Some of the places are just stunning.

Next was suitable gear…..I had bought my jacket while I was in South Africa as well as pants with zips and lots of lovely pockets (I love pants with pockets). I also bought a thermal top and leggings, socks, shoes, gloves and other bits and bobs. So thrilling to start getting my gear together. camino 2016.05.24 camino(4) Once I got back to the UK, I started doing more research on what to take and what to leave…keeping in mind the recommended weight of 10% of body weight…..I’m trying really hard to NOT lose any weight so I can take more with me!!! Hahaha.

I got online and ordered a whole lot of goodies from Mountain Warehouse, a parcel I received with much excitement and couldn’t wait to get it all on and start wearing it in. I’ve also bought stuff that I will clearly not get to use (go figure) and some that after trying it out I have found to be unsuitable. 2016.05.31 (1) So it goes I guess. But slowly I’m whittling it down to what I will or won’t take. Veterans of the Camino recommend weighing EVERYTHING and note it down…apparently after carrying the backpack for a couple of days for up to 8 hours a day, the pack gets heavier and heavier. Hmmm. camino (2)

I also got online and started to plan my route. As I say the Portuguese coastal route appeals to me the most…there’s also an inland route, but the thought of walking alongside the seas (well ocean actually) for 5 days appeals greatly. So I zoomed in on the maps and listed the towns along the way; potential places to stay and noted the distance between each. I don’t want to walk my feet off, so I’m limiting my distance to 28kms on any one day.

I also noted places that have lots of historical buildings and churches and things to see. I can’t go to Portugal for 2 weeks and NOT explore….that would be sacrilege. And so after many, many hours online I have identified the best places to explore where I’ll stay for two nights, and which towns I can just sleep over and leave the next day.

Working out the various stages has been fun too…I worked out the distances with great care since as I say I didn’t want to walk more than 28kms on any one day…some places just don’t play fair…33kms!! So it’s been a real challenge to plan each stage. I’ve also learned so much I never knew about Portugal…I may just end up not coming back to the UK LOL. Portugal sounds absolutely fantastic. The towns have so much history and having looked at photos of some church interiors, I can tell already that I’m going to be taking a LOT of photos.

At the midway point of my journey, I’ll leave Portugal from Valenca, cross into Spain and walk the final stages from Tui to Santiago de Camino…oh my word, when I write that it gives me a thrill…of anticipation and a healthy dose of fear. I love walking and that will be a real pleasure, I love being on my own so that’s something I’m looking forward to and exploring is right up my alley….it’s looking to be a really amazing journey. The section from Tui to Santiago is the most important stage, I’ll do this over 5 days via Vigo and at just over 100kms it will qualify me for my Compostela….the certificate you receive from the Cathedral in Santiago for completing the route as a pilgrim. In order to ‘prove’ you’ve done the required 100km’s you get stamps in your Pilgrims Passport along the way from all sorts of places, churches, alburgues, restaurants and other such places…not always easy to identify but apparently once you say you’re a ‘pilgrim’ the locals are mostly very happy to help. I am planning on learning some Portuguese and Spanish so that I can communicate.

My sister is loaning me her Spanish phrase book so I guess it’s time to start learning a new language.

Bring on the Camino!!!! camino 2016.05.24 camino(3)

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Sorting my ‘stuff’ in South Africa

Posted in family and relationships, It's my life, Travel, tagged british citizenship, its my life, relocating to the uk, travel to south africa on July 1, 2016| 1 Comment »

The last time I visited South Africa was in 2011. After I left I said that that would be my last visit….uhmmm, nope!!

In February of this year I finally got my British Citizenship and realised that I needed to sort out my South African ‘stuff’ – my worldly possessions, most of which had been in storage for the past 15 years. I hadn’t wanted to make a decision to move everything to the UK in the event I didn’t get my citizenship and have to move it all back to SA.

So now that I had it (my citizenship), I planned a trip.

Just a couple of days after our Paris trip I boarded a plane to France (go figure) en-route to SA. We flew via Charles de Gaulle. By the time we left it was dark and by my absolute luck I had a seat with a view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower…it looked magical. Soon after taking off we were asked to close our portholes so after that I didn’t get to see much else.

Paris by night – the Eiffel Tower

The plane was really empty and I had a row of 3 seats to myself and managed, by dint of wriggling and strategically places cushions and blankets, to get a good night’s sleep….well as good as what you can get on a noisy plane. I had a seat on the left hand side of the plane as I was hoping to see the sunrise in the morning…..hah!!! I hadn’t bargained on the extraordinary brightness of the sun at that height…I opened my porthole a sliver and promptly shut it again…nearly blinded! Of course the sun had risen while I was sleeping, so I had missed the best of it.

Flying in over north of South Africa I was dismayed to see just how dry and brown the landscape was – I have become so spoiled by England’s green fields. I was also surprised to see how empty the Johannesburg International airport (aka Oliver Tambo Airport) was…the last time I visited it was packed to the brim.

…how dry it all looks

I spent the first few days in Honeydew, staying with a friend who has a caravan parked within a caravan park….quiet and peaceful, the serenity belied the reality. Beyond the iron gates and electrified fence are the sprawling mass of a township; a place of unrest and discontent, with frequent riots and tyre burning…..the burn marks clearly visible on the tar of what is a national highway between Johannesburg and Pretoria…two major cities.

Waking up in this park that borders on a nature reserve was a treat. As someone who treasures quiet mornings, I would make myself a cup of tea and wander down to the fence to watch the animals and birds at the waterholes. The sunsets in the evenings are stunning; colours in the Highveld are like no other…it’s an African thing – something I suspect has to do with the air.

I had planned to see one of my younger sisters whilst there; Joanne, my Mother’s 3^rd daughter, 10 years younger than me. She is currently being cared for by a charity in Soweto. After a dangerous descent into the underworld of drugs, she was, 3 years back, made a ward of the state and sent to an institution for detox and care. After they said she had to be moved on my sisters looked around and finally found this charity where she is currently staying and where I visited. Essentially although to all appearances she looks well, her brain has been irreparably damaged and she is unable to care for herself.t broke my heart to see the situation she has put herself in……I refuse to accept blame and will not allow anyone to say my sisters or I should care for her….she deliberately took the drugs to spite us against all pleading and arguments to not go down that road….and much as it breaks my heart to see where she has ended up, it is better than in an alleyway somewhere, and she is actually very happy and well cared for. The lady who runs the charity takes very good care of her albeit with very strict rules and if she breaks any of them she is denied her small freedoms…like being allowed to go to the store on her own. We simply don’t command the same respect and my sister, although very friendly to people, can be and has been very, very abusive towards her sisters, and my Mother when she was alive. Anyway, that’s another story altogether, so moving on.

It was lovely to see her and I’m glad I made the journey despite my misgivings. I was most grateful to my lovely niece Tracey who has kept in touch with Joanne and visits on a regular basis, also being my go-between for birthdays and Christmas…being Postie for cards and presents. It was so lovely to see them too, the kids are growing up so quickly!!

Then it was off to Cape Town….flying over the country from north to south I was dismayed to see how dry and brown it all is. Many droughts have plagued the country and when you have idiots in Government who say that the previous Government failed because they built the dams too big, which means they take longer to fill up….you can only wonder. Although of course droughts are a common issue in Africa, still it was saddening to see how much it has deteriorated in the last decades. Made me long for the green fields of England.

I was absolutely delighted to have a fantastic view of Table Mountain coming into land and if there is one thing I do miss about SA, that would be it…..the sight of Table Mountain….it really is quite extraordinary…as well as which the difference from before and after the mountain ranges is quite remarkable.

Table Mountain – Cape Town

The Cape is green…on the whole, very green in comparison to further north. I was also astounded at how the ‘squatter’ camps in Cape Town had grown and how many houses had replaced the shacks, as well as which in a very innovative move which I think is just excellent, were that each house has a solar panel for generating hot water!! Makes absolute sense. Oh and satellite dishes galore!!

How wonderful it was to see my sisters at the airport…..I had only been expecting to see my friend Cheryll with whom I was to stay for the weekend and my younger sister Caroline and her hubby, but suddenly out of nowhere two of my other sisters Valerie and Sue appeared!!! We had a great time catching up. Of course Sue is now also working as a Carer in the UK but due to our work schedules we seldom see each other. You can imagine the noise at that table LOL…all of us talking 19 to the dozen….

Then it was time to go and my sister and her hubby kindly drove me through to Cheryll’s place where I spent the next two days…..sunshine every day! I had forgotten what it’s like to wake up to sunshine every day! Mind you, just the week before I arrived the Cape had experienced some terrible storms that took trees down and lifted roofs off! I had packed my bags accordingly and as it turned out I had no need at all for the warmer clothes I packed! IMAG3550

From there it was over to Somerset West to a place I had booked via AirBnB…a first for me and I was hopeful it would be okay…..after all I had already paid for it all. The place turned out to be lovely and very well appointed, but unfortunately I had a falling out with the host due to her nosiness and sly comments about my being vegetarian. But it was comfortable and safe and at least the hire car was safe and not too far from the storage unit in Strand which is where I had my possessions – the reason I was in SA in the first place…..time to sort out my boxes and keep, sell or pack…for shipment to the UK.

I had always said that as soon as I got my British Citizenship I would head over to SA and sort it all out. It had been in storage for 15 years already and costing me a small fortune.

Thankfully my sister and brother-in-law were with me when we first opened the storage room….I took one look at all the boxes piled high and would have just shut the door and left again LOL…… But disaster was averted, and we decided to start sorting stuff out right there and then…first thing down was my mattress….now bearing in mind it had been in storage for 15 years….there was not a mark, or moth or mouse poop anywhere to be seen…..well done to my sister for all the safeguards she had thrown willy nilly over it all hahahaha. It worked! In fact it worked so well I decided right there and then to send the mattress to the UK!!! It’s one of the best I have ever had.

my marvellous mattress…can’t wait to sleep on it again

And so began the next step of my journey…..what to keep, what to throw away and what to sell/donate. Oh lordy……it was really hard. I had over 40 boxes to sort through and although I hadn’t seen or needed or used any of it for the last 15 years….it was very hard to make the decision to get rid of things like my precious books. But the reality is that we don’t have anywhere to put them here in the UK and I am damned if I am putting anything into storage here!!! Besides which, storage in the UK is more than double the cost than in SA.

I had a fair idea of what i wanted to keep and what not…clothes in particular, although there was a fair number of favoured items that I wanted to bring over…. Kitchen implements and the dinner service et al were easy….time to go. Over the years we have accumulated more than enough and frankly I didn’t want to end up with loads of things again.

My sister had had the brainwave of hiring an extra unit across from mine so I could have space to move and sort. It really made the job so much easier….whatever I wanted to keep I just took across to the other side where I had boxes taped up and numbered, ready to absorb the things I wanted to ship to the UK.

a household reduced to a few boxes

all my possessions…

Finally, after 7 long days, lots of bending, sorting into keep, throw, sell, donate with packing and unpacking, as well as walking back and forth between units – utter exhaustion, braving heat and an unexpected south-westerly wind that ensured I took more SA beach sand back to the UK than I had ever intended…I narrowed it down from 43 boxes to 26!!! Hahahaha. But I can tell you, it was really difficult to part with some of the stuff….as the last day wore on, more and more little bits got ‘squeezed’ into various boxes…stuff I suddenly felt unable to part with. I’ll probably end up donating it to charity once I get it here!!

But after all that, the most difficult items to part with were my books. It nearly broke me to force myself to leave behind all the Encyclopaedias and nature books I had collected over the years. The novels were easy…I had read them all anyway and could easily buy them from charity shops in the UK if I so desired to read them again….but my encyclopaedias…..really hard. My sister promised to donate them to a library which assuaged my emotions…but then promptly started giving them away to people she knew.

I put a lot of the household items up for sale, the many unwanted toys my daughter had accumulated, clothes, ornaments and such like, but after all I ended up donating 70% of my unwanted items to a charity in the Strand area. I felt really happy with that as the woman who runs the charity is taking in unwanted and abandoned children from the surrounding area and was desperate for all sorts of necessities. The delight on the children’s faces when they got the toys was amazing. So the stuff all went to a good home.

Then it was time to say goodbye. The final bits and pieces had been loaded and taken away, and to my utter joy my sister took the fabulous rosewood dressing-table that I had acquired some years ago (29 to be exact! – where do the years go?). It was in a right sorry state and desperately needed a good clean, some fixing up and a lick or three or four of polish….a lot of tlc. I would dearly have loved to bring it over to the UK, but I have absolutely nowhere to put it and it certainly won’t fit into my motorhome!! LOL

Next step was the removal company to collect all the boxes and ship them over to the UK. (fyi I had a really good experience using Biddulphs). In all it feels really weird….essentially I have now, except for family ties, cut my ties to South Africa…the land of my birth. And even more weirdly, I can no longer stay there in excess of 90 days without permission….that was the most odd of all the discoveries I made. Cést la vie.

Now it wasn’t all work and no play….I spent the following Sunday and Monday with my younger sister Valerie in Fish Hoek and finally got to meet my little nephew Luca…who is just the cutest little boy. Initially he was very shy but within a few minutes we were best friends and the three of us had a fantastic day on the beach, splashing in the waves….well Val and Luca did…I watched from the sidelines and filmed the fun!

Then we met up with my youngest sister Deidre (Luca’s mummy), and her hubby and my niece Maya….what a charming and delightful little girl she is. I had not yet met either of the kiddies and my heart melted. They are just adorable. We spent the next day with them too and had a most enjoyable time.

The following weekend, and after we had shut the doors of the storage unit I spent the weekend with another of my sisters; Caroline and her hubby Ewart at their home in Wynberg. What a pleasure to wake up to the amazing view of Table Mountain each day. We went up Lions Head in the evening to watch the sunset which it seems is a ‘National Occupation’ judging by the number of people.

sunset at Lions Head, Cape Town

Friday was mostly a wasted day with fiddle-faddling in their garage sorting boxes etc, but a highlight of the weekend was a ride on my brother-in-law’s motorbike….I rode pillion of course but oh my word, I hadn’t been on a bike in over 30 years!! Superb! When i got off the bike I said forget the motorhome….I’m buying a motorbike!!! LOL

Saturday was also a bit adhoc with none of the plans adhered to, but we did meet up with a friend of theirs and went to see a show which was just astounding and very very emotional for me. The story really captured my imagination and suddenly I found my South African identity again and it threw me completely. I had over the last 15 years lost any joy in the country and any affiliation with or towards the country, so this sudden emotional connection left me feeling quite bereft…I cried on my sister’s shoulder afterwards.

We went for drinks afterwards and I had the most enormous Bailey’s Milkshake you could imagine…..I felt much better after that!!! LOL

Sunday we took an early ride up Table Mountain in the cable car. Oh my gosh the views….I had completely forgotten how stunning Cape Town is from that vantage.

a trip up Table Mountain South Africa

a trip up Table Mountain South Africa – looking towards Hout Bay

a trip up Table Mountain South Africa – me and the outlaw

a trip up Table Mountain South Africa – me and the kid sister

a trip up Table Mountain South Africa

We spent a couple of hours walking around the top of the mountain before heading back down and meeting my two younger sisters and the kiddies at Kirstenbosch Gardens for a picnic. So much fun. It was lovely to relax in the sun and chat and play…and eat 😉

So there we were…..4 sisters together. If my other two sisters Sue and Joanne had been there it would have been the first time in decades we had all been together. We all came from different parental relationships which has been really difficult and quite tricky over the years, with all of us together happening probably never. In fact I simply cannot recall any occasion where we were all together without exception. How sad is that! My brother too lives in another country with his family. Maybe one day it would be amazing to get everyone together….sisters and brother along with nephews, nieces, great-nephews and great-niece….all in one place. How marvellous.

Meanwhile my time in South Africa was drawing to a close. After our picnic in Kirstenbosch Gardens we decamped briefly to Deidre’s house for a couple of hours and then suddenly it was time to go. I felt so sad saying goodbye. It’s unlikely I will see them again for some years…it’s quite expensive travelling to SA and it’s also now become really expensive in the country. In years gone by you could get good value for your Rand, but not anymore.

Next morning is was up early and off to the airport. I said goodbye to my little sister with pain in my heart and my brother-in-law kindly drove me to the airport.

leaving the Cape – looking towards Gordon’s Bay

Back to Johannesburg, overnight at my friend in Honeydew and then goodbye South Africa. As we flew out of Cape Town I had one last glimpse of the mountain and flying over the cape plains I felt an unexpected tug at my heart….unexpectedly I was sorry to be leaving….I guess that means this trip is not my last after all!

a final South African sunset from Johannesburg Airport

A very long night later, with little sleep on the flight we landed at Charles de Gualle and in no time at all I was in-flight to the UK. I had asked for a window seat, but unfortunately none were available. Just before we started making our descent into London I took a walk along the passage and noticed that 6 rows at the back were empty!!! I asked the Attendant if I could sit there and oh my gosh the pilot could not have given me a better view of London as we came in to land even if I had asked 🙂