Author: Glendon

Retired Australian Lawyer having worked representing the innocent and the not so innocent in Australia and some of the remote parts of the world and having travelled widely through Europe, Western Russia, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Thailand Malaysia Solomon Islands northern China, Hong Kong and the UAE So now that I have the time I am writing about my travels present and past. Hope you enjoy exploring off the beaten track.

The Retirees go Aboard – The Workhouse Southwell and Rufford Mill

It was a pleasant Friday morning and we planned to visit Rufford Mill for a high tea. There was a special advertised in Amazon Local and it sounded interesting but to travel to Rufford Abbey some 50 minutes’ drive away for no other purpose than to have afternoon tea seemed extravagant. I pulled out the National Trust Guide and settled upon “the Workhouse” at Southwell. Generally in the same direction, the Workhouse had been one of the closed sites that we had wanted to visit. So two birds, one stone.

The morning started with sunshine but as with so many days in the UK, this is deceiving. The breeze was lightly chilling our cheeks as we walked to the car. Both of us had decided that scarves were necessary to keep the chill off our chests. The drive up to Southwell took about 50 minutes and we arrived at opening time of 12 noon. Already the carpark was occupied by dozen or more cars and a bus. From the carpark there is a long walk to the Workhouse past a field then the gardens then some walled areas which we later learnt were the exercise yards for the residents an d finally into the reception shop and tea room.

We both had an idea that this was a place of brutality and Dickensian forced labour camps, with orphaned children being sacrificed to industry as in Oliver, but we were wrong. This was a social experiment that commenced in 1824 and surprisingly continued right up to 1989. In some sense it was a catalyst for the “welfare state” introduced in the ‘40s by the labour governments after WW2.

The building has under gone many changes in its short history and its fundamental purpose changed as society changed but for the purpose of presenting the building and its history the Trust has in some respects taken the building back to 1824. For instance they have stripped out the toilets that had been installed.

The history starts in 1601 with the Poor Act which made parishes responsible for the paupers, elderly, infirm and orphaned. Each parish handled the administration with a board of governors and raised funds for the poor through taxes. Rev J T Becher proposed a revolutionary idea of centralising those in need of help in the form of the Workhouse and banded together 60 parishes to fund the building of the first Workhouse at Southwell.

The building is three stories high, has a central administration and accommodation tower for the Master and Matron and three wings one on the left for abled bodied women, and old and infirm women, the one on the right for able bodied men and old and infirm men and the children’s wing which included orphans. Other facilities such as the wash house were in buildings surrounding the main building. In front of the adult wings were the walled exercise yards with a community latrine open to the sky and beyond that were the gardens and orchard. There was a classroom for the children but it is uncertain as to whether any play areas were provided for the children.

The Master and Matron were usually a married couple and their living quarters in the central tower had indoor flushing toilets and were quite comfortable. Also in the central administration block was the governors meeting room, the Masters office and the clerk’s office. This arrangement allowed the Master to access any area quickly and keep control.

The intent of the programme was to reduce the cost of aiding and caring for the poor, elderly, infirm, and orphaned on the parish, to encourage the able bodied, idle and indolent to return to work by working them at monotonous and physically demanding chores and to make them self – sufficient. The programme was a success on the financial level and by Act of Parliament the New Poor Law saw this model replicated 500 times across the UK.

The system was in the case of an able bodied family – they were stripped of their clothes which were washed and stored securely, they were washed and de-loused and issued the workhouse uniform, segregated into men, women and children and put to work. The aged and infirm were also segregated and often lived the rest of their lives in the institution and the children would be taught to read and write and then some vocation. The idea was that the abled bodied would want to return to the community because the life for them was uncomfortable and demanding and for the children to equip them to join the community. This workhouse had up to 160 inmates completely segregated with no contact whatsoever between the various groups. Often this lead to children being abandoned in the workhouse by their parents.

In relation to the aged and infirm the system continued up til 1989. One of the National Trust guides told us that as a 65 year old in the late ‘80s he could recall visiting “some of the old girls” at the work house and they tended to be gaga. I have posted some photos below. Unfortunately I did not think to photograph one of the third floor rooms which have been left as they found them in 1990. Seriously depressing. The presentation of the rooms as they were in 1824 is misleading in my view as I doubt they were painted in light colours and as clean as they are today.

To sum up, not the Dickensian workhouse that I had expected or been lead to believe was the norm by novels such as Oliver and Dark House but still a dark social experiment in many ways. Well I am pleased to say the high tea was a lot more comfortable than the workhouse. Starting with a glass of sparkling wine and finishing with the same, we stuffed ourselves on finger sandwiches, scones, and cakes before returning home. Rufford Mill was just that an old water powered mill, originally for grinding corn but finishing life as a timber mill. The lake which provides the water to drive the waterwheel is now a haven for bird life and one can walk around the lake to the old ruined Abbey and the Rufford Country Park and golf links.

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The Retirees go Abroad – Rotary Club of Nottingham – Children of Courage Awards

.Whilst we have been visiting the UK we have attended Rotary club meetings where ever we can. Being based in Long Eaton we have been visiting the Rotary Club of Nottingham principally and this is one of their projects we attended.

The club has sought to recognise the courage of children (in many forms) in the community. Through schools and churches, the Club sought nominations to recognise these children. The nominations included disabled children and how they cope with their disability, children who have lost a sibling and how they coped with that loss, through to children with a disabled parent and how they cope bearing some of the burden of caring for that parent.

The awards were decided by the Club and presented at a lunch held at Nottingham Park Inn in Mansfield Rd last Thursday. We sat at a table with Edward Hardcastle aged 5 – 6. Edward was born with a genetic disorder which affects sight mainly but can also affect hearing. He now has only 10% vision but despite this he appears happy and communicative. One of the other persons at our table sought to engage with him and he readily responded without any concern that he can only see shadows images.

Most of the children receiving awards were similar to Edward in that they have a significant disability and yet do not make the disability an excuse. One young girl has the responsibility of caring for her disabled mother and wrote a most endearing poem about having to care for her which the club President read to the audience. The children seemed to appreciate the attention given to them as reward recipients and enjoyed their lunch. Photos of the awards, the Club President, the Mayor of Nottingham City and the children follow.

 

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The Retirees go Abroad – Des Hortillonnages

We had learned for the Office de Tourisme that it is possible to visit the floating gardens called “Des Hortillonnages” in electric powered boats in the shape of the traditional “horn boat” of the “hortillons” which take visitors through the channels for about 45 minutes. You can also kayak or walk on some towpaths.

Known as Des Hortillonnages, the floating gardens of Amiens is a space of 300 hectares of former marshes located east of Amiens, drained and channelled (probably in the Gallo-Roman times) to create usable fields for cultivation vegetables. The floating gardens have been cultivated for about 2,000 years. Today, due to urban sprawl, there are only 300 hectares of the original 10,000 hectares. A thousand people lived on floating gardens of vegetable growing.

This activity has been in decline since the 1950s and was at risk of being lost when in 1974, the construction of a ring road through the site threatened the floating gardens. In 1975, the Association for the protection and preservation of the floating gardens (Association pour la Protection et la Sauvegarde du Site de L’Environnment des Hortillonnages – APSSEH) was created. The association now works for its preservation (clearing and bank stabilization). It also has maintained the “Water market” at Place Parmentier at the foot of the cathedral and has organized since 1982 boat tours of the site for the general public.

Most of the floating gardens have been transformed into ornamental gardens but in recent years, there has been a gardening revival with two organic farming market projects; the Garden Virtuous (ecological and educational landscape garden) and the Moon Hortillon (Jean Louis Christen, producer maraicher),and others are in the pipeline.

The channels are fed by the waters of the Somme and its tributary the Avre. The floating gardens are composed of a multitude of alluvial islands, surrounded by 65 kilometers of waterways called “rieux” in Picard and ditches that serve as drainage and the irrigation. The traditional horn boats once used by hortillons are on the decrease.

So we walked over to the office of APSSEH and tried to buy a ticket. “Non” said a rather rough looking chap behind the desk. We had to wait til 13.30 to buy tickets. We wandered off to get some lunch and return at 13.30. On returning there were people milling around uncertain of what to do with the office door locked – for lunch of course. These were French people who obviously could not read the sign in French which we had mistakenly read as Purchase tickets before 13.30. So we lingered at the gate until a pleasant plump French woman came to the gate and let us in and all the French followed.

Having purchased the ticket we waited at the quay until the horn boat was ready. We climbed in and the voyage commenced. For a moment we thought some part of the journey would include an English commentary. The “gondolier” asked if we spoke English. Then he said “keep your hands inside the boat”. That was it for the English commentary.

Even though we could not understand the commentary, it was a pleasant cruise which at sometimes was quite cool. We passed a fisherman trying his hand, sailed up shady canals passed “weekenders” and some ploughed fields, a boat which although out of service was still useful as a pot plant, a local doing a bit of gardening (note the radishes), some scarecrows and some recent residents of the channels.

After the tour we strolled back to the apartment via the Spa store and picked up some supplies to help us drink that bottle of Bordeaux. After catching up on our sleep we farewelled Amiens, Henri and Isobel early in the morning to catch the 12.30 ferry from Calais.

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The Retirees go Abroad – ANZAC Day Dawn service and Villiers Bretonneux

We did not get back to Des Hortillonnges on Friday; I napped too long apparently. We did go back to the Mall but the promised rain seemed imminent as the weather closed in. Dark clouds and sprinkles of rain chased us all the way back to the apartment.

We set the alarm for 02.00am. I slept like a log and Kerry nervously awaited the alarm. At the appointed hour we dressed packed our backpack and headed for the train station. We were not alone. People were gathering from all directions and not just Australians. However the guides were not so anxious and they did not arrive til 03.00am and the buses (17 of them) until 03.15am. This caused many to wander aimlessly checking and double checking that they would not miss the bus.

Suddenly, Tour Perrett was illuminated with the Australian flag and then followed the guides and then the buses in no particular order. Our tickets allocated the bus we were to catch. Some were the “short tour” – just the dawn service and others like our bus number 5 were for the “long tour” – the dawn service and the French service at the memorial at Villiers Bretonneux. Boarding the bus we were issued with badges to identify our tour and bus number and lapel badges to commemorate the occasion.

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The bus took about 20 minutes to travel to the Australian War Memorial and about 20 minutes to navigate the traffic to drop us at the memorial. There were thousands of people, some walking but most arriving by bus. As we alighted fine rain started to fall and a strong breeze blew it into our faces. We walked through the entry into the cemetery. Grave stones decorated with flags of the nationality of the soldier where known stood to attention to our left and right. Australian, New Zealand, British, French, Indian and South African flags identified the nations recognised at the memorial.

There is limited seating so we made our way quickly to get a good position from which to witness the ceremony. Darkness splintered by the camera lights for the broadcast and the official ceremony spread all around so everything seemed somewhat eerie with shadows crossing the graveyard and the monument continuously. We found suitable seats and then the rain started to fall in earnest. We had brought our “Bayeaux Tapestry” ponchos and umbrella. We were confident we would stay dry. Many were not prepared and someone made a lot of money selling clear plastic rain hoods. The military personnel carried on with protection and despite the rain.

We were seated by 04.00am. However the service could not start til the Gallipoli service had finished. In between there were songs, music, a photographic tribute projected onto the tower of the memorial and rain.

With the dawn members of the Federation Guard formed the Catafalque Party to commence the service. The Australian Ambassador to France welcomed everyone and the Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett presented the Call to Remembrance. Monsignor Stuart Hall Principal Chaplin for the RAN performed the Prayer for Remembrance and the Prayer for Peace. Kevin Andrews Minister for Defence delivered the Commemorative Address and Madame Pascale Boistard Secretary of State for Women’s Rights delivered the Commemorative Address for the French nation. This was followed by a reading then the official wreath laying, the Ode of Remembrance the piper, the Last Post, a Minutes Silence and Reveille. The service ended with the national anthems for Australia and France a final blessing from Monsignor Hall and the Catafalque Party dismounts. And still it rained.

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The solemnity of the occasion was somewhat destroyed by the rush to the buses that followed. Our rain coats and umbrellas had been partly successful and everyone had the same paranoia about missing the bus back to Villiers Bretonneux, so everyone hurried past the graves to board their bus with some mayhem ensuing. And still it rained.

The drive to the village took less than 10 minutes. So by 07.30am we found ourselves dropped off in an unfamiliar place with vague directions as to where to find the village square and the French Memorial. But it had stopped raining and the glow of the morning illuminated our path to the village. A short stroll through a wooded park brought us to the Marie (the village town hall and Mayor’s office), the village square and the “commercial centre” of the village.

The rush was on for toilets and a warm beverage. We found a less popular café and comfortably fulfilled our requirements before strolling around to the village, the village church, the bakery, the museum and the school. The French service commenced at 09.00am followed by a concert. We attended the service along with the same dignitaries who had attended the Australian service but we were unable to attend the concert. The village hall was filled to overflowing. So we returned to the bakery and the courtyard at the rear until our bus returned at 10.30am.

We returned to Amiens by 11.00am. The stroll back to our apartment seemed a little harder now but after some lunch at the apartment and a rest we were off to Des Hortillonages.

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The Retirees go Abroad – Exploring Amiens France

We had arrived in Amiens the previous day and now we are exploring the old city. It is always a good idea to check out the Tourism information available for the city and its surrounds. We had located the train station from which our bus to the Australian War Memorial would depart at 03.15am tomorrow so we did not plan to exert ourselves too much. After finding the train station we obtained a map of the city and located the Office de Tourisme near the Cathedral Notre Dame.

Once in the Office de Tourisme, we learned that we could take a self-guided walk through the old city. Armed with the map and brochure, we set off. The first stop was the Cathedral in the Notre Dame quarter. Behind the cathedral we found the Bishops gardens. Sedate, green and colourful it was a pleasant change to the noise of the city. From the garden we passed into the lower town and entering the Saint – Leu quarter and Rue du Hocquet. This is where one will find the oldest houses of Amiens sited on the bank of the canal. Originally they were designed with a shop or merchants stand on the road level with living quarters above. Many had been restored but others were not even fit or safe for the pigeons. Some even needed bridges across the canal to their front doors.

Our journey followed the canals past the Church of Saint Leu and the Universite de Picardie Jules Verne. Amiens reminded us of Venice in some ways. This had also been a centre of industry with 25 watermills operating grinding wheat and woad leaf and other industries. We passed a number of different building styles but one building caught our eyes – this building had no right to be standing. A little further along we came to the Place Aristide- Briand where the typical building style of weatherboard at the ground floor and a first story in cob (a mixture of straw and clay pasted over slated timber then plastered. We also saw some of the residents of the canal.

From there we entered Rue Motte and its myriad of smaller streets echoing the trades of the past – rue des Arches (archers), rue des Clarions (bugles), passage des coches (horse drawn carriages). We were now close to the finish of our tour and we found ourselves in Rue Belu and near our apartment. Rue Belu is also known as Quai Belu but its former name had far more charm – Rue de la Queue de Vache (Cow Tail St.) as it was here that animals were brought to drink from a public trough. The drinking trough for animals is gone and replaced with human troughs – Restaurants.

So we returned to the Apartment to rest as we would be arising at 02.00am the next morning to travel to the dawn service. On the way we passed Pont du Cange the oldest bridge in Amiens still showing signs of the old fortifications that once protected the city and the Water Market where the “hortillons” (marsh vegetable farmers) brought their goods via the canals to the market. A market continues to operate on the site every Saturday. We planned to visit des Hortillonnages but after our rest.

 

The Retirees go Abroad – Amiens Picardy France

We were met by our hosts Henri and Isobel who invited us to join them for a glass of wine after settling in. We made a quick trip to the ATM for some cash and the Spar for a bottle of wine. In less than 5 minutes we were in sight of the grand Notre Dame Cathedral of Amiens, the restaurants of Rue Belu, the statue in the middle of the canal which some one dressed in a different coloured shirt each day and the water markets.

Armed with some cash and a bottle of Bordeaux we joined Henri and Isobel for sparkling wine aperitifs. Very civilised. Henri had adequate English and tried very hard to hold a conversation with us. Kerry made a friend in their Jack Russell terrier “Toupee” which jumped from Isobel’s lap to Kerry’s lap with excitement. It had been a long day so we farewelled our hosts, ate our chicken salad and retired to bed to explore Amiens tomorrow.

The next day good weather continued although Henri had informed us the forecast was for rain. After breakfast we set off early to see where we would catch our bus to the Australian War memorial for the dawn service. The bus departed at 03.15am so it was going to be an early start. Crossing the River Somme we made our way to Boulevard D’Alsace Lorraine which was lined with Australian flags all the way to the train station and the highest modern building in Amiens Tour Perrett. The rail station announced by a large display of WW1 scenes and posters that ANZAC Day was April 25th. We had selected a very centrally located apartment.

Satisfied that we could walk to catch our bus, we then walked down Rue de Noyen (now a Mall) making our way to the Office de Tourisme. In Square St Denis we found the memorial “Aux Picards Martyrs de la Resistance” reminding us that France had been an occupied country during WW2. The square was very pretty and relaxing with spring flowers blooming and the trees covered in new leaves. Someone had smashed a cake on the ground and the pigeons were enjoying morning tea. The Mall continued down Rue Rue des Trois Cailloux. We discovered a small lane through to Jules Verne’s House and Square J du Becquet with views to the Cathedral at one end and to the Palais de Justice on another side of the square.

We returned to the Mall and continued the walk down to the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall). The Mall is decorated with fountains and small trees some of which are woven together such that they form a wall of foliage in summer. From Place Gambetta we could see the grand clock through to the Cathedral. We were looking for the Office de Tourisme and the Cathedral was the landmark to find it. We made our way to Place Notre Dame and stood before a gothic cathedral of gigantic proportion. It seemed taller than most we had seen (Henri claimed it to be the tallest in France) but its body seemed truncated. The exterior is being cleaned to remove the grime of the city and the interior was also receiving some attention.

The façade is a decorated with statuary of all kind and the door arches are emblazoned with carvings and grotesques. Inside I can believe that it may be the tallest interior in France. Here lie the graves of many important Amienites and the memorials to the soldiers and countries liberating Amiens. They cannot thank Australia enough for its sacrifices in two world wars.

 

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The Retirees go Abroad – Travel to Amiens Picardy France

As April 25th approaches, we travel to Amiens as our base to attend the ANZAC Day service at Villiers Bretonneux. Amiens is in Picardy north of Paris and a short drive from the Belgian border. To the west and north of Picardy is the Somme. This was a killing field during W.W.1 and W.W.2 and the people of the region hold special affection for the Australian Imperial Force which held back the German advance in W.W.1.

It is an all day journey to Dover and the cross channel ferry and onto Amiens. We had allowed ourselves over five hours to reach the ferry terminal as we have learned that traffic bottlenecks occur with painful regularity around the Dartford Crossing. The weather blessed our journey. Fine and cool with patches of sea mist from time to time. Traffic was slow up to the turnoff to Birmingham where a majority of the trucks and cars turned off giving us an easy run to Dover.

On this occasion our planning was too conservative and we arrived in Dover ahead of time giving us a chance to look around the port. We drove along the sea front bounded by holiday flats and a new board walk reflecting the white cliffs that are famous in this area. With the sun shining and a gentle but cool breeze blowing we prepared our lunch on the foreshore and enjoyed a break from driving. Dover Castle looked on as we soaked up the vitamin E.

We finished lunch and joined the queue of cars and Lorries (trucks to us) awaiting boarding of the ferry. I had to call in to the kiosk to get our head light defuses as under French law we cannot travel in France without them. A right hand drive car has its headlights set to shine brightest to the left which is straight into the face of the driver of left hand drive cars. Understandable but at £7 a pop every time we go over to France it becomes expensive as you have to pull them off on returning to England.

I had just fitted them when the cars were called to board the ferry. These are very large boats with trucks on two decks and the cars scattered amongst the trucks on deck 5. The fittings are more like a cruise liner so the one and a half hours across the channel seems to fly.

The drive to Amiens was only one and a half hours but with the time change this meant we would arrive around 6.00pm. The weather continued to be fine and the fields of northern France were stunning. I could not reach my camera but I have included some shots I obtained on the return journey but unfortunately it was overcast and showering.

France is in a different time zone to the UK and has daylight saving as well so we had to set our watches an hour ahead. Fortunately this meant that we had the benefit of twilight even though it was past 6.00pm when we arrived in Amiens. It seemed like the middle of the day when we found our apartment. It was on the edge of the old city and a parking space opened up just nearby.

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Retirees Go Abroad – Kedleston Hall Derbyshire

We have been back in the UK for 5 days now and recovered from jet lag but Kerry has caught a cold and is feeling miserable. However this Tuesday morning we awake to bright skies and warmish sun so it is time to break out of our flat and see more of the world.

We have a busy schedule coming up and we have to watch our pennies as pensioners so we pull out the 2015 edition of the National Trust Guide. We settle upon a visit to Kedleston Hall.

The guide says “Designed by the famous architect Robert Adam, the hall was built for Sir Nathaniel Curzon in 1765 as a house to rival Chatsworth. Intended as ‘a temple of the arts’ and as the location for grand entertainments, the main house was never meant to be a family home, but a canvas on which to showcase the finest paintings, sculpture and furniture.” This might be worth a look.

We load up our Thistle and 30 minutes later we arrive at the front gate with its two gatehouses either side of the road leading to the hall. Beside the entrance is the Kedelston Hall Golf Club. A sign inside the gatehouses warns that livestock will be on the road. We drive for almost a kilometre with the fairways of the golf course on our left before the house comes into view. In front of us is a magnificent bridge crossing a river, black angus cattle grazing casually on the banks of the river. To our right a strange building sits on the far bank of the river and we learn this is a ladies fishing lodge so that the fair ladies did not have to get their feet wet whilst fishing, Across the river we see sheep with their lambs skipping around dotting the grassy approach to the hall. And the back drop to this idyllic picture is the hall – you cannot miss it, it is large and grand.

Our guide book had promised “As soon as you arrive at Kedleston Hall you are invited to take a trip back in time to the 1760s, when wealth and power enabled the creation of this magnificent neo-classical mansion and beautiful landscaped park.” We were not disappointed.

On arrival we booked to join the introductory tour and the Conservation tour. The introductory tour was held in the grand hall and we learnt about the history of the family which still resides in the hall today even though the hall is now the property of the National Trust. Kedleston Hall is the seat of the Curzon family whose name originates in Notre-Dame-de-Courson in Normandy. The family helped finance William the Conqueror and received 10,000 acres in Derbyshire as their reward.

Whilst waiting for the tours to commence we visited the family church and the crypts within.

The Curzon family have owned the estate at Kedleston since at least 1297 and have lived in a succession of manor houses near to or on the site of the present Kedleston Hall. The present house was commissioned by Sir Nathaniel Curzon (later 1st Baron Scarsdale) in 1759. The family ended up with two titles, the family title of Viscount Scarsdale and the personal title of Lord Curzon (an Irish title given to by Queen Victoria to a second son of the Curzon family so he could be Viceroy of India in 1898). This is the Lord Curzon I speak about in my blog on Tattersall Castle. (Somewhere different – Lincolnshire)

Our second tour dealt with the difficulty for the National Trust to live up to its motto “Forever, For everyone”. Conservation is a knotty and costly problem full of decisions around conservation or restoration and what is important. For this part of the tour we were taken to some rooms in the top of the house (formerly the guest rooms) which had not been restored and now were used as storerooms via subsidiary stair cases which were never designed for frequent use and therefore are not structurally able to handle more than ten people at a time. The tour started in the hall beneath the grand hall where we witnessed some of the deterioration caused through use (they had five thousand visitors over Easter) and the fact that the hall does not have engineered foundations as would be done today.

Even the grand hall is deteriorating quickly because of the building technique employed. In the former guest rooms we were shown the tools of conservation and the bits and bobs which are stored there for conservation. We even found a doorway in a cupboard through which we reached another set of stairs so frail that only one person at a time could view the staircase.

The guides told us that “Soon after he inherited Kedleston in 1758, Sir Nathaniel Curzon met a young architect called Robert Adam, who had recently returned from three years study in Italy and who shared his enthusiasm for ancient Rome and the principles of classical design. Sir Nathaniel had already demolished his grandfather’s house and, while he was initially commissioned to redesign the parkland, by April 1760 Adam had sole responsibility for the design of the new Hall and its interiors.”

On the ground floor Lord Curzon created the Eastern Museum, displaying objects collected on his travels in Asia and while Viceroy of India (1899-1905).

The West Wing housed the servants’ quarters and kitchens (now the offices and restaurant), while the East Wing remains, as it always was, the private residence of the Curzon family. For further information here is the link to the National Trust site.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kedleston-hall/

The weather had been glorious so we strolled through the park (now only 4,000 acres) taking in the sunshine. We inspected that bridge more closely, interviewed some of the lambs frolicking in the pastures and inspected the Ladies Fishing Lodge although it was fenced off preventing a close up inspection.

 

It had been chill in the morning and in the hall but by 2.00 o’clock the day had reached its full potential. And so we bid farewell to Kedelston.

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The Retirees take a holiday – in Australia – Maleny.

Dear Reader

At first I was going to tell you how hard it is to look after two boisterous boys on a farm stay holiday but I got over it so I won’t bore you with that but I can show you some of the pretty sights around Maleny and the farm which we all enjoyed.

I will tell you that the trip to Maleny was one of – “Are we there yet”, French songs sung by William and Matisse at the top of their voices, and constant chatter as each of the boys contested the right to be heard over the other. It was Kerry asking “Are we there yet”. The trip was uneventful for an Easter holiday with the weather a mixture of showers and grey skies.

We arrived at Solothurn Farm just in time for the 10.30 wagon ride. After travelling in the wagon towed by the tractor down the rough farm tracks we arrived at a corral – not for the cattle but for the people to stand inside and hand feed to the cows on the outside. Matisse would not leave the safety of the wagon but William was not afraid of the cattle and spent most of the time raking the fallen hay under the rails to the cows. He was not so sure of the farm dogs though. Feeding over, the tractor travelled oh so slowly back up the hill. Fortunately the scenery was outstanding. Our cabin was ready after the tractor ride and after settling in I strolled around to the Chapel. They do weddings  there also.

The next morning we made our way up to the cow shed for the milking of the cow. The weather was threatening rain so raincoats on, umbrellas raised off we went. Once we got to the milk shed, Lilly lined up to milk the cow – three or four times and Matisse clung to me saying “not the tractor ride no tractor ride”. So I hiked down the hill to the horses then the goats then the chooks then the pigs then the sheep and back up again to the emus and back to the milking shed. The rain stopped shortly after the feeding of the animals and the day warmed up. We took a drive to nearby Maleny, followed by swimming with the kids in the farm pool and then the kids ran around madly until dinner time when we had a BBQ and a glass of wine.

 

Over-night it rained incessantly so that the next morning all the puddles that had dried up the day before were now brimming with muddy water. We did the animal feeding again and William and Matisse were more familiar and more adventurous. We did the rounds then got ready for the tractor ride. But once again Matisse said “not the tractor ride” so I stayed behind whilst Kerry and the others went off on the tractor. After feeding the animals, Cassandra and I took the older ones on a walk to take some photos and Matisse napped.

After the walk we went to the pool. The water was not as cold as the previous day and I was able to do some swimming before becoming a surf board, a diving board, a punching bag and wrestling mat for Lilly and William. Kerry and Matisse arrived after his nap and of course he wanted to go in the pool. Exhausted I had just climbed from the pool and I had just dried off. But back into the pool I went to chaperone Matisse. Kerry lowered him into the pool and a tantrum erupted – he did not want Grandad in the pool. Indignantly this two year old swam to the ladder and climbed out of the pool. So we moved to the playground where the kids amused themselves in the playhouse with Mr Tantrum throwing a wobbly every now and then.

Monday morning and I took the boys off to the animals while Kerry packed the car. We departed around 09.00 and by the time we got to Mary Cairncross Park turn off the kids needed feeding and a break. So we went to the park, the kids went wild and we realised how exhausted we were. After returning from Maleny we moved from East Brisbane to Carina to baby sit Lilly Jazz whilst Cassandra visited Sydney.

I managed to sneak away for a day of fishing in the bay with my brother in law Ian in his boat. We left his house at Capalaba and arrived at Redland Bay launched the boat and we were at the yabbie bank at 7.15 am before the tide had turned. We got our bait then hopped in the boat and anchored off the bank to fish the incoming tide. It worked perfectly. We caught 24 bream (11 legal size and therefore keepers and 13 went back to grow some more). In addition Ian caught two sting rays one of which would have been 3 ft across its back and broke his line and his rod. I caught the only crab, a male sand crab with 1 claw which we also released back into the Bay. After returning to Ian’s home as I washed the boat and cleaned the gear Ian filleted and skinned the fish and we all enjoyed a feed of fresh fish that Friday.

We have now returned to Long Eaton. A busy calendar of travelling awaits us. We will travel to Villiers Bretonneux for ANZAC day, host a visit from Kerry and Rod, host a visit and trip through France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland with David and Veronica, host a visit from my brother Greg, visit Edinburgh for the Tattoo, visit Sue and Joe in the Lakes district and meet up with Ivor and Shanelle in Prague. I think that’s about it for now.

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The Retirees take a holiday – in Australia – Brisbane

Our visit to Caloundra had come to an end so we returned to Brisbane. Carly had asked Kerry to manufacture some new ball gowns for Glitter Designs (now under the management of Carly) new fashion label Urban Prima, in time for the “Dancing with the CEOs” ball fund raising for the Women’s Legal Service. The ball was a success, lots of glitz and glamour and photo opportunities for Carly and her fashion label.

The weather which had been hot and humid improved changing to hot without the humidity. Whilst in Brisbane I  caught up with many of the people in my business network and friends as part of the adjustment to our ongoing travels.

I am back to walking in the morning. I have a really great circuit – from home I walk down to Mowbray Park on the river with views to the CBD, Kangaroo Point and the Storey Bridge (correct name is the Bradfield Highway but no one in Brisbane uses its correct road description). My circuit includes the Churchie Boat Shed, the avenue of large fig trees in the Park the Ferry Terminal where workers appear from 5.00am to take the trip to work, the sights and sounds of Brisbane. It takes about 1 hour but I walk through and see some of the best sights in Brisbane.

There are some great opportunities to take photos of some spectacular sunsets as our home overlooks Brisbane CBD and we a have a 280 degree vista of Brisbane from the east.

Doug and Nerida live on the opposite side of Brisbane and have spectacular views towards the city but from the north.

Whilst we are home, the Lorikeets (a small brightly coloured  and noisy parrot type bird) are feasting on the flowers on the trees in our driveway so it is easy to awake with the Lories for my walk. Even though Brisbane is a large city we still enjoy some of the native wild life – spiders, water dragons, white cockatoos, as well as the common butcher birds, currawongs, magpies, crows and mickey birds all joining the lories to make quite a symphony.

After the farm stay and before returning to the UK we had a gathering of friends at home and I took some photos before it got right out of hand.

 

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