Not Just a Granny

UPS lost my life

November 2, 2016 by notjustagranny

*update* 17/12/2016 – STILL NO HARD-DRIVE. So after re-opening the case, UPS subsequently wrote to me to say that they had not managed to find my parcel. A sad little letter that really says nothing at all. I have written to them again; last week to be exact, and this time they haven;t even bothered to reply. Nice one UPS, typical large corporation arrogance. Frankly I don’t think they give a shit, mine is just one of thousands of parcels they they lose each year by looks of the comments on their Facebook page. No positive reviews, just anger and frustration at the lack of response or interest.

My original letter to UPS: Okay so in desperation and total frustration I have written to 4 UPS executives in America in the hope that they will get the UK to re-open their investigation into my lost parcel.

“Dear Mr …..,

I am writing to you in desperation and with the hope that you will be able to help me recover my hard-drive; a hard-drive that contains much of my life from the past 10 years…so to speak.

A few weeks ago I had a very unfortunate mishap with my hard-drive and after discussion with my computer guy we researched and found a company in the UK that does data-recovery.

The company R3 arranged with UPS in the UK to collect my hard-drive and ship from London to Sheffield. En-route it has disappeared? The company lodged an enquiry with the UPS depot and after a few days they replied to say it could not be found.

Now I have no idea how this is even possible, since parcels don’t just up and walk off on their own, but after UPS has declined to reopen the case, I have decided to appeal to yourself and ask you to please contact the UPS depot in the UK and ask them to find my parcel.

On this little piece of technology are all my photos of my travels for the last 10 years, the events I have been to and family occasions. As well as the photos, are hundreds of documents and a book I am writing as well as all my budgets and personal information going back years.

I was using the hard-drive as a back-up rather than storing them on my computer because in the past my computer crashed and I had to spend a lot of money to recover the data. Unfortunately I have not been in a position to pay for a ‘cloud’ storage facility and although I had taken all necessary precautions by keeping the hard-drive in a zip-up case designed to keep the hard-drive safe in the event it gets knocked, unfortunately this did not work.

I have attached a document showing the time-line of this missing consignment and hope that you are able to arrange for this investigation to be reopened. The photos are invaluable. Most of the places I have been to have been in the line of duty while working…..I cannot afford to go back to these places, or to one-off events that will never happen again…like The Queen’s 90th birthday. The documentation as you can imagine is also vitally important to me…..I am devastated that UPS has lost my parcel.

As I explained to your UPS agent here in the UK, I worked for 4 courier companies in the past and I know that parcels don’t just get up and disappear…..Please would you consider helping me with this.

In the event you are unable to open the document; here is the time-line

The UPS parcel was initially marked as collection on the 5th of October, due to arrive with ourselves on the 6th of October.

I raised an investigation on the 7th with UPS as the parcel hadn’t received an update since being scanned on the 5th.

I confirmed with yourself about the description and the investigation was officially opened with UPS.

I chased an update however UPS were unable to provide one until the 8th working day of the investigation had been completed.

On the 19th of October, UPS contacted myself with the following email;

Dear Customer,

I am sending you this e-mail as the investigation for the package under the tracking number ……………… has reached 8 days.

Usually our investigations take up to 8 business days, however, in this case we will need more time to conclude this investigation.

I apologize for any cause of inconvenience.

Once the investigation is over we will inform you of the outcome.

On the 26th, it was confirmed that the investigation had completed unsuccessfully and that the parcel could not be found.

Mr ……, I am appealing to you to please follow this through and find my hard-drive. I have offered to travel to the Dartford depot myself to look for this but your Agent didn’t reply to that.

I look forward to your reply.

Regards

Cindy A Eve”

Dear anyone out there who knows someone who works for UPS…would you kindly consider alerting them to the fact that they have lost my hard-drive, and to re-open the case and find it.

Thank you

17:08 Update. To my great surprise I received an email reply from America. It appears they are going to reopen the case and try to track the parcel down. Hold thumbs please everyone

Posted in It's my life | Tagged UPS lost my parcel | 8 Comments »

Why go to Rye?

November 1, 2016 by notjustagranny

My sister thought it would be a great place to celebrate her birthday, her first in the UK and it was on my list of places to go in my quest to visit all the Cinque Ports; Dover, Hastings, Hythe, New Romney and Sandwich and their ‘7 surviving limbs’: Deal, Faversham, Folkstone, Lydd, Margate, Ramsgate and Tenterden.

Rye, now classified as an ‘ancient town’ was once a Cinque Port as was the ancient town of Winchelsea (of those listed, I have yet to visit those not highlighted)…. Places to go 😉

As mentioned in an earlier post my sister’s initial plan had been to visit the Isle of Wight but after reading an article about Mermaid Street in Rye, the decision was made to spend a few days in this ancient of towns. The first thing we discovered is that the cobbles in Mermaid Street were laid in the 1600’s!!

imagine all the history these cobbles have seen….

History that’s right up my street, so to speak 😉 How could I not want to go there. And so our plans were laid.

Initially there were meant to be four of us, but my sister’s two friends pulled out and so it was just the two of us…that reminds me of a song….LOL But let me not digress, Rye awaits.

We decided to arrive the night before so as to be in the town on her birthday…great idea! I had the hotel tie balloons to her chair for breakfast and persuaded them to put candles onto her breakfast plate!

Happy birthday Sioux

Where will we put the candles they asked? Oh stick them in the sausage, I replied (as I crossed my fingers and hoped she ordered a full-English) – she did and to her surprise the breakfast arrived with 5 flaming candles!!! accompanied by a fantastic rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, if I may say so myself 😉

So those were our reasons; here are the reasons you should go!

Ancient history: Rye’s history dates back to before the Norman Conquest at which time it was a small fishing village almost surrounded by water. Since then, the sea has retreated and although there is still a small harbour and a river, the town now lies 2 miles from the sea. Fascinatingly the river is affected by the tides, so it’s fun to watch the ships and boats moored alongside rise and fall on the incoming and outgoing tides. I know – it’s the little things that please me!

old fishing boat in Rye Harbour on the Rother

Mermaid Street: listed as one of the prettiest streets in Britain, this quintessentially English street is lined with amazing architecture; the Mermaid Inn, a Grade II* listed building – one of the oldest inns in Britain; restored in 1420 (hello!! note it was ‘restored‘ in 1420!!),

The Mermaid Inn, Rye – restored in 1420

sits comfortably alongside extraordinary Tudor Houses, gorgeous Georgian Houses and a mix in between, bearing some of the most quintessential house names you could imagine, in fact the house names in the whole town were just wonderful.

House names in Rye

We found the street utterly enchanting and spent ages photographing just about every house. The cobbles lend a charming aspect to the atmosphere of stepping back in time and you feel as if at any time a pilgrim could come slowly by, followed perhaps by a knight on his horse or maybe a royal entourage on it’s way to the inn….talking of which, you simply must step into this gem of a building. Oh the history!! It’s extraordinary and I would love to spend a few nights there!!

Mermaid Street in Rye

Rye Castle Museum and Ypres Tower: there is something quite spine-tingling when you turn a corner and discover a castle!! My jaw dropped…just wow!!

Rye Castle; Ypres Tower

Thought to have been built in the early 14th century, Ypres Tower (Rye Castle) was part of the town’s defences and the 2nd oldest building in Rye. Although not as big as some castles I have visited before, Ypres Castle is beautiful. Explore the building to discover the Tower’s role through 9 turbulent centuries. Climb to the battlements for a view of the salt marshes and the remains of what during the 16th century was one of the largest and 7th busiest port in England. The views are to die for!!

the view from the battlements of Rye Castle

Head below ground to the dungeons and try your hand at archery! It’s not as easy as it looks in the movies and the swords are rather heavy!! There are some helmets you can try on for fun 😉 We made ourselves look quite silly. while you are there be sure to visit The Women’s Tower; a 19th century prison (believed to be the only women’s prison to survive unaltered from the 1800’s to the present day), the Medieval Herb Garden and the gun garden. At 3 East Street in Rye and just a short walk from the castle is the Museum where you will find an eclectic and fascinating collection of relics from Rye’s past; costumes, toys, pottery, shipbuilding, an ancient fire-engine and so very much more.

St Mary’s Church; the oldest building in Rye; the Parish Church of Rye has, for 900 years, dominated the hill on which this ancient town stands. Sometimes called the ‘the Cathedral of East Sussex’ the building of the present church was started in the 12th century.

The fantastic 16th century clock at St Mary’s Rye

In 1377 the town was looted and set on fire, the church suffered extensive damage causing the roof to fall in and the looters carried the bells off to France – not taking this lying down, the following year, the men of Rye and Winchelsea set sail for Normandy, set fire to and raided two towns and thus recovered the bells. Today you can climb the battlements and be amazed at the fantastic views of the surrounding town and countryside and Romney Marshes from the tower.

view of Rye Castle and the River Rother from the battlements of St Mary’s

view across the roofs of Rye and the windmill in the distance

On your way up, beware the bells – they bong on the hour and could damage your ear drums (ask my sister who stuck her head above the parapet just as the bells gonged the hour for 2pm!! She nearly fell off the steps in shock. One of the oldest church turret towers in the country still functioning, the ‘new’ clock made by the Hugenot, Lewys Billiard, was installed in about 1561/2. You can see the pendulum swinging as you enter the church. Do note that the stairway leading to the tower’s viewing platform are VERY narrow!! LOL.

Sioux and The Bell!!

The Landgate Tower: What a startling discovery!! I had seen it listed on the town map the hotel gave us, but that didn’t prepare us for the reality. Again we stumbled upon this ancient treasure quite by accident whilst meandering the streets and couldn’t forsake a closer look. After the French attacked the town in 1339 burning 52 houses and a mill, the Mayor and town corporation decided to build town walls and gates. They received a grant from the King; Edward III and got busy building walls and 4 gates.

The Landgate

The Landgate dates from about 1340. Of the original 4 gates, this is the most complete remaining. Touching the stones that make up this amazing structure gives me goosebumps. Just think about the history and the people this gate has seen…as they say: if walls could talk. There’s a delightful antiques shop right next to the gate and just beyond the gate is ‘Crepes on the Corner’ – the best crepes in town..and they were. I had Nutella and banana…delicious!! There are glimpses of one of the other gates; Strandgate, incorporated into the Old Borough Arms Hotel at the bottom of Mermaid Street.

The Windmill: We had seen this marvellous structure the previous day and on our way to Mermaid Street we decided to ‘pop in’ and have a look. I adore windmills, they add such a sense of history and mystery to a place….you feel almost compelled to go have a look. The distinctive and famous Rye Mill is a Grade 2 listed building and has been the inspiration for artists and photographers throughout the centuries. It occupies an historic site in Gibbet’s Marsh where a windmill has stood, in one form or another, since at least the sixteenth century. The Symondons map of Rye created in 1594 shows an illustration of a windmill in the exact spot where today’s mill now stands. Now a B&B, we had a quick peek at one of the rooms. Located over the railway line and right next to the river, it’s charming and I can assure you that I am so going to stay there some day in the future.

The Rye Windmill

Rye Harbour: classified as a village, this tiny cluster of houses, jetty’s and buildings relative to a harbour are a delight to see. One of the most recognised images is an abandoned fisherman’s hut; black walls, a red tin roof with white painted windows and door that look like a face, stands almost halfway between the harbour and the river mouth.

the old fisherman’s hut in Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Rye reached the zenith of her power during the 16th century and at any one time there could be 200 ships anchored near the Strandgate – handling every kind of cargo from around the world. The largest and busiest port on the south coast during Tudor times due to it’s proximity to the continent, Rye’s harbour was more important than Portsmouth or Southampton. Although still a busy fishing harbour, today there are but just a few glimpses left of the original Rye Port, and to reach anything that resembles a harbour requires a short drive from the town to Rye Harbour – a drive well worth taking.

Rye Harbour

The harbour borders onto the nature reserve which is marvellous to walk through of an early morning. The decline of Rye’s harbour was ultimately caused by the silting up of the river. Silt carried by the incoming tides stayed and settled in the bottom of the river leaving a film of silt which finally made the river un-navigable for ships. Today you can walk along the gravel road that runs between the salt-marshes and the river to the pebbled beaches. Perfect at sunrise.

The River Rother flows down to the sea…

Rye Harbour Church: as you drive towards Rye Harbour and Nature Reserve, look to your right for a glimpse of this beautiful little church. Built in 1849 in the gothic style, the church of the Holy Spirit was designed by Samuel Sanders Teulon and constructed of local blue stone and Caen stone. Support for the construction of the church came from local estate owners; Mr & Mrs William Lucas Shadwell. In the churchyard is a memorial commemorating the 1928 Mary Stanford Lifeboat tragedy when 17 crew members lost their lives.

Rye Harbour Church

Pubs: as with all towns like Rye there is always a church and those quintessential essential necessities of community life; the pub! 😉 We managed to eat at two and have drinks in one. On our first night in Rye, after exploring the lower reaches of Mermaid Street and surrounding area, we stopped at the Ship Inn for a yummy meal. A congenial location we enjoyed the atmosphere so much we tarried awhile and played a game of scrabble.

a game of scrabble at The Ship Inn

I love how you can do that. The pubs in the UK (and Ireland) are more like family gathering places than drinking houses. For our 3rd night in Rye we booked to eat at the Ypres Castle Inn, a 17th century pub nestled at the foot of the castle! Accessed down a steep flight of steps the lamps cast an inviting pool of light for a weary, hungry traveller. As you walk down the steps you will find an ancient set of ‘stocks’ used for the naughty people of Rye LOL. We enjoyed a most delicious meal there; for my sister it was the Lamb Hot Pot and for me Battered Cod (the biggest piece of fish I have ever been served), delicious chips and mushy peas. Although we didn’t tarry for long, it wasn’t due to the ambiance which was lovely. We had in fact both walked ourselves stupid that day exploring every corner and Lydd, and were exhausted by the time we had our meal. The staff were lovely.

the history of 4 inns in Rye

The streets of the medieval town: Rye is quite simply the picture perfect place to meander. We set off just after breakfast on Saturday to explore and photograph Mermaid Street more fully…..5 hours later and we were still meandering.

Rye architecture

What an extraordinary array of cobbled streets, lanes and alleyways leading hither and thither, quaint houses line the cobbled streets up and down, each an enchanting delight. Every corner we turned opened up to more delights; with an “oh my gosh”, or “ooooo look there!” from me and a laugh of bemusement from my sister as my constant “okay, just one more corner” eventually turned out to envelope almost the whole town.

Rye, a gem of South East England

There are 15th century inns, Tudor houses, the Vicarage where John Fletcher, the Jacobean dramatist, was born in 1536, the Old Rye Grammar School erected in 1636, the old water tower next to the church and so very much more to see.

And last but not least: the three rivers – Rother, Brede and Tillingham.

Three rivers of Rye

The River Rother flows down to the sea….This is the river along which we meandered in the morning and the evening for photos. Used for navigation since Roman times, the river is navigable by small boats as far as Bodiam Castle. With it’s source near Rotherfield and it’s mouth in Rye Bay, the river flows for 35 miles through the English counties of East Sussex and Kent. Its mouth was further to the east at New Romney prior to 1287, but a great storm blocked its exit to the sea and changed its course to flow via Rye.

The River Tillingham rises from two springs near Staplecross, a small settlement in the Parish of Ewhurst in East Sussex and joins the Brede and Rother at Rye.

The River Brede takes its name from the Village of Brede which lies between Hastings and Tenterden. It flows into Rock Channel which is the tidal section of the River Tillingham and joins the River Rother at Rye.

With tales of sailors’, smugglers, storms, ships, seas and derring do, of pilgrims and kings, heroes, dramatists, writers, and a nursery rhyme, you simply must visit Rye!

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep! – According to legend, this well-known nursery rhyme derives from the deeds of smugglers in the town of St Leonard’s. West of Burtons St. Leonards is the area known as Bo-Peep which was once a tiny village renowned for smuggling in bygone days:

One of 4 Smuggler gangs that operated in the area of Rye

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep and doesn’t know where to find them; leave them alone, And they’ll come home, wagging their tails behind them

Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep, and dreamt she heard them bleating;

but when she awoke, she found it a joke, for they were still a-fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook, determined for to find them; she found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed, for they’d left their tails behind them.

It happened one day, as Bo-peep did stray into a meadow hard by,

there she espied their tails side by side, all hung on a tree to dry.

She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye, and over the hillocks went rambling,

and tried what she could, as a shepherdess should, to tack each again to its lambkin.

Rye is a real gem of England; playing a very important role in the history of the country, remnants of which can still be seen today. It’s pictureque, charming and an absolute delight to explore. We loved it!

Originally, the Cinque Ports (pronounced ‘Sink’ Ports) were a confederation of five harbours, Sandwich, Romney, Dover, Hythe, and Hastings plus the two Ancient Towns of Rye & Winchelsea. Grouped together, for defence purposes, by Edward the Confessor, they supplied the Crown with ships and men.

Interesting links:

What are Cinque Ports?

http://www.ryemuseum.co.uk/home/ypres-tower/

http://www.faversham.org/history/maritime.aspx

Posted in around the UK, Castles of UK and Ireland, family and relationships, Fun Stuff, Historical, Holidays, It's my life, Travel | Tagged 1066 country, cinque ports england, history of rye, mermaid inn rye, places of the uk, pubs of rye, rye catle and ypres tower, visit england, what are cinque ports, why go to rye | Leave a Comment »

I still have youtube

November 1, 2016 by notjustagranny

Just over a month ago to my absolute dismay I banged my hard-drive and damaged the reader. Essentially this meant that my computer couldn’t ‘see’ the information. I spoke to my computer person who after looking at the hard-drive said that the data was still there but that it needed an expert to recover it. He did some research and after I had followed up on some of the testimonials I decided to go with a company called R3 (or Tierra) of who do data recovery. They arranged with UPS to pick up the parcel (my hard-drive) and there endeth the tale….or not. UPS have in their own words ‘lost’ the package and after a number of requests to please continue looking for it, have pretty much said “sorry but….”

I’m sure that this is what UPS would like me to do…….

Now it may not be important to them, and as they say they handle thousands of parcels every day, but this little hard-drive is vitally important to me. It contains the photos of all my adventures, travels and events that I have attended for the last 10 years, as well as so many documents, spreadsheets and downloads and information that I can’t even begin to remember it all. The hard-drive was my back up because I keep being told to not store everything on my computer and after the last computer crashed and I had to pay to have the data recovered from that, I bought the hard-drive.

However……

I have spent the morning trying to not lose my equilibrium about this, but frankly it is just devastating. The documentation I can live without, it sucks, but cést la vie, I’ll just have to start all over again (like I have decades in front me y’know LOL), But it’s my photos I am most distressed about. 10 years of places that I have been to, events I have attended, special celebrations and things I have done….in essence, all my memories are on that small piece of plastic (can’t rely on my brain anymore).

Fortunately I have downloaded many photos to facebook and have those albums which I am now going to download and I recently made this video, but oh my gosh….

So, here it is….a youtube video of places I have been

I guess I will just have to visit all those places again…… LOL

Meanwhile I am so totally unimpressed with UPS. They really just don’t care, much like most big corporations, they grow to a size where the customer no longer matters.

One of their replies which really is no reply at all:

“UPS has an automated sorting system, and packages are rarely handled by people in transit facilities. Our investigation team has already thoroughly worked on this and were not able to locate it. I apologise about this, but a claim has been issued for this already.” ….. Uhmmm, Okay, so who will benefit from this claim?

“Hello Cindy, I’m really sorry if there’s been trouble with your delivery. If the package is considered lost it just need a little attention from the shipper and our investigation team would start working on locating the goods and getting them to you. In some unfortunate situations when the goods cannot be found a claim is issued.” Again…would UPS please come to the party and tell me who is going to benefit from this claim? I’m guessing it’s not going to be me.

Posted in around the UK, idiot category, It's my life, Travel | Tagged about UPS, courier companies, courier companies that lose your parcels, huge corporations simply do not care, technology, the customer no longer matters, travel in the UK, ups tracking | Leave a Comment »

Lisbon in twelve years, twelve pictures, twelve stories

October 28, 2016 by notjustagranny

I was scrolling through articles looking for something to read when I spotted this article. It immediately caught my attention because of my planned but not achieved Camino from Porto to Santiago (another year then!). But, I had wanted to visit Lisbon too, so had t read this. what a delight. It’s made me more than ever desirous of a visit to Lisbon before I start my Camino…I’ve wanted to visit Portugal for ever such a long time.

Jules Verne Times Two

I remember walking about one of Lisbon’s cobbled streets with my dad, many years ago. We came up to a gentleman selling Borda D’Água, an old almanac created in the 1920s. I wondered what sort of use could somebody living in Lisbon have for a farming calendar and other agricultural tidbits. Apparently, alfacinhas (the nickname given to Lisbon residents, literally meaning lettuces) are indeed interested in agriculture because, to this day, the old almanac is still sold on Lisbon’s streets, virtually unchanged.

Maybe we need the almanac to plant lettuces on all those urban vegetable gardens that are popping up all around the city. The truth though is that there’s a lot I don’t know about Lisbon, the city where I was born and currently live on. Nevertheless, given that this blog is filled with stuff we blabber on about after visiting a place for just a few days, I…

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Sisters and a 1st Birthday trip to Rye

October 24, 2016 by notjustagranny

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!

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 | 1 Comment »

autumn’s colours

October 23, 2016 by notjustagranny

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

Posted in around the UK, Inspiration, Travel | Tagged autumn colours, autumn leaves, poems by robert frost | Leave a Comment »

nothing much to see in Hampton

October 20, 2016 by notjustagranny

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

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 | Leave a Comment »

Broken by the job…..

October 19, 2016 by notjustagranny

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 🙂

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 | Leave a Comment »

Smugglers Tunnels in Broadstairs

October 18, 2016 by notjustagranny

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.

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 | 1 Comment »

Happy 15th Anniversary

October 8, 2016 by notjustagranny

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