Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Pump Track King of Kromme
With eyes set on the 2014 HANSA Great Fish River canoe marathon the canoe was taken wherever there was a river but the bikes always came too. Wilderness was a great base while Gus took part in the Independent Schools Hockey Festival at York High beneath George Peak. Ebb and Flow was beautifully peaceful as usual and paddling on the Touw River is a pure delight. Island Lake and then through the Serpentine to Ebb and Flow and back was even better. On our return along the Old 7 Passes Road from George to Knysna we came across the Garden Route Mountain Bike Trails, and although we knew of the 30km trail, all burmed and flowing, we were totally taken back by this pump track that lead to a delay in our trip but wow, what a blast we had!
A jaunt down the road to St Francis Bay for Sunday's King of the Kromme was good preparation for our paddling this year. The 20km return route up the Kromme meant contending with a strong headwind and the tide to the turnaround point up the Geelhouts River. I was very proud of Gus who coped very well with a demanding 12km race. "The most exciting part of it was dealing with the wake of speed boats passing by!"
A jaunt down the road to St Francis Bay for Sunday's King of the Kromme was good preparation for our paddling this year. The 20km return route up the Kromme meant contending with a strong headwind and the tide to the turnaround point up the Geelhouts River. I was very proud of Gus who coped very well with a demanding 12km race. "The most exciting part of it was dealing with the wake of speed boats passing by!"
Friday, March 21, 2014
Friday, November 29, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Fun, family and farewell
The Trikidoo, a bicycle meant for four! It's funny how you go into any one of the three Teeton boys' garages and you find a mass of bikes! Big brother, Paul takes the cake though! If anyone believes in pedal power, both Paul and Andrew swear by it and Paul manages to get his family of 6 around the streets of Rugby with ease on the trike that manages to fit two children on a bench behind the rider and one little ‘un' up between the handlebars and the rider himself. It's a sturdy velo and safe, but it seems it needs gears now. This was evident on our ride through the school that occupies most of the southern streets of the town of Rugby, past St Marie's, the children's primary school, past their very elegant church, St Marie's and it's cloud piercing spire and along the cycle path about two kilometers to some more school playing fields, the polo turf and the stables. Older brother, Bede is an athlete in the making. Due to his extensive gym training up until now, (he has been a member of a gymnastics club), he has exceptionally good upper body strength and has mastered rope climbing, which he demonstrated at one of our many stops along the way. He also loves his bike and is very capable on it indeed. Jemima whomis now 5 and Delilah Rose, three, sat like two very well behaved princesses behind Paul. The weather was freezing for a summers day and there was a biting wind, yet we were having fun, just doing things together. In the afternoon we had a great walk to a number of the key points of interest around the Close, the green where rugby the game was first played thanks to pupil, William Webb Ellis. A well known film, Tom Brown's schooldays is set set at the school and we recently watched the latest version of the film, starring Stephen Fry. He acts as the famous headmaster of Rugby school, Mr Arnold, his first name escapes me at the moment. Arnold introduced many structures to his school in the mid 1800s such as the house system, team sports or games and so on. It was so successful in its implementation that it was adopted by the English public schools on mass and of course found its way to the colonies, hence we South Africans are also familiar with Arnold's school sporting and leadership structures. It was good to have rugby practices taking place, teams taking part in pre season training that I must admit looked well planned and rigorous. We visited the beautiful chapel with its world class stained glass windows (I feel I can say that now), the Big Old School Room, various tastefully arranged quads and the school shop where we bought two lovely prints, one for Paul. The streets are flanked by boarding houses, one after the other and of course we bumped into many of the staff who stopped to congratulate Paul on the birth of Adelaide six days earlier. We had a family evening, the cracking open of a gorgeous bottle of real Champagne and it ended with Paul taking me out for a pint or two at a lovely pub, five minutes walk away, The Merchants.
The day of our departure from Rugby was a satisfyingly, slow morning just spending time playing Scalelectrics, trains, jumping on the trampoline and nattering over several cups of coffee. I hate to sound that I'm over emphasizing the bonding that we were experiencing, but I have to reiterate the feeling the kids, Carol and I got, staying with Paul, Liz and the family. It was just so DAMN GOOD to all be together!
Our farewell was a sad one as we will miss the wonderful moments we experienced. We had to go via the village of Teeton, since it was only seven miles east of the town. We had our photograph at the sign at the entrance to what is actually a hamlet rather than a village, and went via Northampton back to Blackheath.
It was great to see Andrew again and we went out onto the Heath to enjoy another five star picnic. I'm going to miss the bottles of Tanglefoot, Fursty Ferret and Bishops Tipple.
Another late night, another early morning. Let's do this thing, was the saying when we planned to go sight seeing, so with a London transport day pass, we boarded the train for Waterloo station, and walked up to the War Museum at Elephant and Castle where mom once taught. I think she'd be impressed with the place now. We spent four hours there and found it fascinating. We coul come back two more times and still not see everything. Picnic in the gardens, washed down with a good coffee and we then hopped on a bus for Parliament square. Front seats, double decker and a fabulous guide in Andrew made the short trip interesting. We ambled down Whitehall, past No 10 Downing street, past the closed entrance to horse guards parade, under Admiralty arch and then back to Trafalgar square. G and C had their photos taken with one of the sentries, Gus knocking his sword as he tried to give him bunny ears for the photo. The guard flinched. We were rather embarrassed though. South Africans!
The rest of the afternoon was spent very pleasantly doing a brass rubbing in the basement of the church, St Martins in the field, in Trafalgar square. The time went so quickly! It was Andrews birthday the following day so to celebrate it we decided to buy tickets to a concert by a string ensemble and harpsichord at seven. It was brilliant and although we had very uncomfortable seats we really appreciated the incredibly high standard of the performers. They played Mozart and Vivaldi. We intended to walk back to Waterloo over the Hungerford foot bridge but got sucked into the vibe that was, The South Bank. An incredible son et lumier in the Houses of Parliament and an electronic house music performance caught Gus's attention from afar. Everyone was in such good spirits,seemingly without too much spirits, and we had to pull ourselves away to catch the 11.30 train back to Blackheath.
The M25 was quiet at 9am this morning and the trusty camper van and Andrew got us to the Easyjet check in on time.
Andrews generosity has been overwhelming and words cant express our gratitude to him.
Our flight to Rome was uneventful, although the weather was wet and NOT what we were expecting. Our plans to go for a last dip in the Med were a complete mess, firstly by the weather, secondly it was Sunday afternoon and no place to have lunch/supper. We eventually ended up going from the airport to Porto, the mouth of the Tibre, then to Parco Leonardo, a massive shopping mall, having a very ordinary pizza slice and the having to catch a train with no ticket (the Tabac shops had sold out), but it was only a 5 minute ride and we chanced it getting to the airport unscathed.
I am now sitting in Dubai airport terminal three, an impressive place with a quiet spot to lay our heads. No sleep last night for some! It's 6am and 33 deg. Outside.
I am now sitting in my office back at work. It's all rather surreal!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The day of our departure from Rugby was a satisfyingly, slow morning just spending time playing Scalelectrics, trains, jumping on the trampoline and nattering over several cups of coffee. I hate to sound that I'm over emphasizing the bonding that we were experiencing, but I have to reiterate the feeling the kids, Carol and I got, staying with Paul, Liz and the family. It was just so DAMN GOOD to all be together!
Our farewell was a sad one as we will miss the wonderful moments we experienced. We had to go via the village of Teeton, since it was only seven miles east of the town. We had our photograph at the sign at the entrance to what is actually a hamlet rather than a village, and went via Northampton back to Blackheath.
It was great to see Andrew again and we went out onto the Heath to enjoy another five star picnic. I'm going to miss the bottles of Tanglefoot, Fursty Ferret and Bishops Tipple.
Another late night, another early morning. Let's do this thing, was the saying when we planned to go sight seeing, so with a London transport day pass, we boarded the train for Waterloo station, and walked up to the War Museum at Elephant and Castle where mom once taught. I think she'd be impressed with the place now. We spent four hours there and found it fascinating. We coul come back two more times and still not see everything. Picnic in the gardens, washed down with a good coffee and we then hopped on a bus for Parliament square. Front seats, double decker and a fabulous guide in Andrew made the short trip interesting. We ambled down Whitehall, past No 10 Downing street, past the closed entrance to horse guards parade, under Admiralty arch and then back to Trafalgar square. G and C had their photos taken with one of the sentries, Gus knocking his sword as he tried to give him bunny ears for the photo. The guard flinched. We were rather embarrassed though. South Africans!
The rest of the afternoon was spent very pleasantly doing a brass rubbing in the basement of the church, St Martins in the field, in Trafalgar square. The time went so quickly! It was Andrews birthday the following day so to celebrate it we decided to buy tickets to a concert by a string ensemble and harpsichord at seven. It was brilliant and although we had very uncomfortable seats we really appreciated the incredibly high standard of the performers. They played Mozart and Vivaldi. We intended to walk back to Waterloo over the Hungerford foot bridge but got sucked into the vibe that was, The South Bank. An incredible son et lumier in the Houses of Parliament and an electronic house music performance caught Gus's attention from afar. Everyone was in such good spirits,seemingly without too much spirits, and we had to pull ourselves away to catch the 11.30 train back to Blackheath.
The M25 was quiet at 9am this morning and the trusty camper van and Andrew got us to the Easyjet check in on time.
Andrews generosity has been overwhelming and words cant express our gratitude to him.
Our flight to Rome was uneventful, although the weather was wet and NOT what we were expecting. Our plans to go for a last dip in the Med were a complete mess, firstly by the weather, secondly it was Sunday afternoon and no place to have lunch/supper. We eventually ended up going from the airport to Porto, the mouth of the Tibre, then to Parco Leonardo, a massive shopping mall, having a very ordinary pizza slice and the having to catch a train with no ticket (the Tabac shops had sold out), but it was only a 5 minute ride and we chanced it getting to the airport unscathed.
I am now sitting in Dubai airport terminal three, an impressive place with a quiet spot to lay our heads. No sleep last night for some! It's 6am and 33 deg. Outside.
I am now sitting in my office back at work. It's all rather surreal!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Rugby......the town.....the school
As I said in an earlier blog commentary, “Traveling ain't for sissies!" Waking up from an evening in London and the excitement of the Proms, took some effort, however, we were all SO excited to see Paul and family in Rugby.
We loaded the camper with our rather empty looking rucksacks and headed out of London through the Blackwall Tunnel under the Thames and past Stradford and it's Olympic venues. It was good to see the stadium and other venues. We arrived in Rugby at about midday and met the cousins we'd been so looking forward to seeing. Paul and Liz's house is gigantic in size in comparison to so many homes in England, excluding those of the gentry. He has a wonderful garden, large trampoline, a conservatory (the makings room), and literally, hundreds of toys. The electric railway down In The cellar, and a grand staircase leading up to four bedrooms upstairs. The upstairs is a great launching pad for missiles of various sorts and when down below, it's worth looking up first to check you're not the next target. All great fun and the family works in amazing harmony with manners and politeness firmly set. Liz and baby Adelaide, just four days old, are very well and we've all had long periods of taking it in turn to hold the beautiful little girl. Bede is seven and without a doubt THE BIG BROTHER, very sensible, polite and very able sporty and bright! Gemima is five, the big sister, so caring and sweet, obviously switched on and also just as agile as her brother. Delilah Rose is three and I just love the way she makes everyone know she's there. She gets her way with her uncle through her big eyes and hubby little face, she is delightful but I think the family believe its not the terrible twos but rather the ‘terrible' threes they're going through with her at the moment. As I write all five children are on the trampoline have a ball.
Rugby School is not a Campus in isolation to the town of rugby, it stretches out for the High Street, where the grand buildings give way to what seem to be large Victorian red brick buildings, the Houses, or boarding houses as we know them. The main green is about three rugby fields or more big and is surrounded by the chapel and various other buildings including Paul's Politics block. Gus can't get over the superb condition of the fields, the grass so lush and well groomed. There is a tarred pathway all around the fields, a superb running come cycle track for the children who competently cycled from home and then around it. Bede did several laps while we were there this morning. We've popped into the main shopping precinct this afternoon with a sleeping Gemima, and we were very impressed with the neatness of the town Centre, a very pleasant small town.
Today we've come up to Alton and a spectacular trip to Alton Towers theme park which as I write is thrilling the children in more ways than one. We head back to Rugby this evening.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We loaded the camper with our rather empty looking rucksacks and headed out of London through the Blackwall Tunnel under the Thames and past Stradford and it's Olympic venues. It was good to see the stadium and other venues. We arrived in Rugby at about midday and met the cousins we'd been so looking forward to seeing. Paul and Liz's house is gigantic in size in comparison to so many homes in England, excluding those of the gentry. He has a wonderful garden, large trampoline, a conservatory (the makings room), and literally, hundreds of toys. The electric railway down In The cellar, and a grand staircase leading up to four bedrooms upstairs. The upstairs is a great launching pad for missiles of various sorts and when down below, it's worth looking up first to check you're not the next target. All great fun and the family works in amazing harmony with manners and politeness firmly set. Liz and baby Adelaide, just four days old, are very well and we've all had long periods of taking it in turn to hold the beautiful little girl. Bede is seven and without a doubt THE BIG BROTHER, very sensible, polite and very able sporty and bright! Gemima is five, the big sister, so caring and sweet, obviously switched on and also just as agile as her brother. Delilah Rose is three and I just love the way she makes everyone know she's there. She gets her way with her uncle through her big eyes and hubby little face, she is delightful but I think the family believe its not the terrible twos but rather the ‘terrible' threes they're going through with her at the moment. As I write all five children are on the trampoline have a ball.
Rugby School is not a Campus in isolation to the town of rugby, it stretches out for the High Street, where the grand buildings give way to what seem to be large Victorian red brick buildings, the Houses, or boarding houses as we know them. The main green is about three rugby fields or more big and is surrounded by the chapel and various other buildings including Paul's Politics block. Gus can't get over the superb condition of the fields, the grass so lush and well groomed. There is a tarred pathway all around the fields, a superb running come cycle track for the children who competently cycled from home and then around it. Bede did several laps while we were there this morning. We've popped into the main shopping precinct this afternoon with a sleeping Gemima, and we were very impressed with the neatness of the town Centre, a very pleasant small town.
Today we've come up to Alton and a spectacular trip to Alton Towers theme park which as I write is thrilling the children in more ways than one. We head back to Rugby this evening.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The Proms. The Royal Albert Hall!
Cheeses, hams, rows of unblemished tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, the smell of freshly baked breads, very special breads. This was the Blackheath Sunday morning produce market. Wow, such quality, the Blackheathians are spoilt! We Did need to pick up a picnic to share with Caroline, Tim, William and Alex, so this was a great opportunity we hadn't expected to stumble upon outside the front door of the flat.
We met the Woods at the Science museum and the children went their separate ways while we caught up after 7 years since heaving sen them last. The meeting progressed to a spot in Hyde Park not far from the Albert Memorial, the temperature just pleasant enough. It was lovely to stretch our legs walking to the very sensible memorial to Princess Diana at the Serpentine, which can be described as a wide furrow in an oval shape on a slight slope. Children paddled their way up, down and through the water, it was lovely to see a memorial used in this way, Diana must really enjoy seeing so many happy faces.
Speakers corner was Very busy but dominated by people expressing their religious views. I suppose it was Sunday!
It was so easy to get our £5 tickets for the evening Proms concert. The Royal Albert Hall was one place I regretted not getting to while living in England and now we were there, at other Proms wow! The interior of this amazing venue is so impressive it added so much to the Ravel, Strauss and Wagner, the 130 piece orchestra delighting the packed auditorium. It was another evening never to forget and before taking the 10.40pm train back to Blackheath we spent 10 minutes on the Hungerford footbridge marveling at this very special city. All that glitters, IS London!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We met the Woods at the Science museum and the children went their separate ways while we caught up after 7 years since heaving sen them last. The meeting progressed to a spot in Hyde Park not far from the Albert Memorial, the temperature just pleasant enough. It was lovely to stretch our legs walking to the very sensible memorial to Princess Diana at the Serpentine, which can be described as a wide furrow in an oval shape on a slight slope. Children paddled their way up, down and through the water, it was lovely to see a memorial used in this way, Diana must really enjoy seeing so many happy faces.
Speakers corner was Very busy but dominated by people expressing their religious views. I suppose it was Sunday!
It was so easy to get our £5 tickets for the evening Proms concert. The Royal Albert Hall was one place I regretted not getting to while living in England and now we were there, at other Proms wow! The interior of this amazing venue is so impressive it added so much to the Ravel, Strauss and Wagner, the 130 piece orchestra delighting the packed auditorium. It was another evening never to forget and before taking the 10.40pm train back to Blackheath we spent 10 minutes on the Hungerford footbridge marveling at this very special city. All that glitters, IS London!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Phantom and pedaling through puddles
Caitlin didn't say a word all the way back to London! She was clearly very hearts sore of having to leave her family in Poole. Liz, Andy, Rosie, Aaron, and of course Pete and nicky had just shown us all such love and kindness. We'd had time to play and chat, laugh together and connect, we all felt an emptiness when we finally said our last goodbye to Pete at a laybye near a roundabout tht would take us out onto the motorway back to London. The M3/M25 intersection was slow going and so too the M25/A2, so we were beginning to wonder if we'd get to Her Majesties Theatre on time or not for out meeting with The Phantom, thanks to a very generous gift from Liz. I dropped the family off at the flat and the went on to Lea High Street to drop off the hire car. I was supposed to ride the fold up bike back but I'd forgotten it had a puncture so had to run it back, retuning to the flat for a quick turnaround back to Blackheath station and the train in to Charing Cross. We got to the theatre, grand from the outside in one of the most impressive parts of the West End, and there was a wonderful ‘London feel' to arriving for the show. The foyer, staircase and cloakroom was very smart but couldn't have prepared us for the grandeur we experience as we walked in. A lot smaller tHan I thought, but what amazed me was how the design of the theatre rose up from the pit, very steeply to the gallery way up there. I hadn't seen the orchestra pit walking in so up until the interval I had thought he music had been a pre recording. We peered into the pit at interval and saw the orchestra , about 20 to 30 musicians. wow! What amazing acoustics the theatre had. The show didn't disappoint in the least, the acting, the set, the costumes, the detail, QUITE amazing. At one point in the show a chandelier dropped from the heavens to ooo's and ah's from the audience. During the interval, fifteen minutes, we gobbled down the quiche Andrew had so thoughtfully arranged, picnic basket and all. The show came to an end all too quickly! We took a short walk up to Picadilly Circus which was alive with activity as usual and the children were clearly captivated by the lights, the crowd, the hum. Leister Square, 500m on was just as impressive, in fact I've always enjoyed it more. They've neatened up the place, modernizing the layout of the garden and paving. When they advertise the fact a movie has premiered at Leister Square, we can picture it.
London is an amazing city. It has a beat like no other city we've visited. The Thames, not only is it so pretty, but it is a working river like a huge highway with tourist boats, commuter catamarans and the obvious presence of police launches and naval craft. At night it is simply beautiful. Lazier lights projecting images onto bridges, large flood lights circling in the sky and like open bracelets the the colours flank the river on both sides. Paris and Rome had their very own beat, Paris a lot slower to Rome and less congested, but London PUMPS with people of every kind, those making it tick and those enjoying it like us! I don't think there is any city in Europe that can match it and only New York comes close that I've experienced. The arteries of London are beige, Purbeck stone moulded by Christopher Wren and the likes and with commuter traffic limited its runs black and red with taxis and London buses. Boris Johnson and the British cycling Olympians are doing wonders to promote the bicycle, almost to the extent that it's the cyclists and rickshaws that rule the road. Cheers to that!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
London is an amazing city. It has a beat like no other city we've visited. The Thames, not only is it so pretty, but it is a working river like a huge highway with tourist boats, commuter catamarans and the obvious presence of police launches and naval craft. At night it is simply beautiful. Lazier lights projecting images onto bridges, large flood lights circling in the sky and like open bracelets the the colours flank the river on both sides. Paris and Rome had their very own beat, Paris a lot slower to Rome and less congested, but London PUMPS with people of every kind, those making it tick and those enjoying it like us! I don't think there is any city in Europe that can match it and only New York comes close that I've experienced. The arteries of London are beige, Purbeck stone moulded by Christopher Wren and the likes and with commuter traffic limited its runs black and red with taxis and London buses. Boris Johnson and the British cycling Olympians are doing wonders to promote the bicycle, almost to the extent that it's the cyclists and rickshaws that rule the road. Cheers to that!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Broadheads - arrow craftsmen of note and much, much more
The tide was beginning to turn so we had to get to Poole yacht club, board the boat, a six berth vessel, perfect for a night in a secluded corner of Poole harbour, one of the worlds biggest and most beautiful natural harbors.
It was so lovely being with cousin Pete and Nicky again. It had been about seven years since we had last seen them in South Africa. For them, spending a night or two on their yacht is a regular weekend activity and they had everything to make it an amazing experience. We moored in a beautifully quiet spot near Anre and Round Island and while Nickynwas cooking the Salmon and beans, a seal frolicked around the boat, inquisitive, but not that brave. It was a very good nights sleep and a time to remember, with the “ting, ting, ting" of the rigging tapping against the mast and the waster lapping against the hull early in the morning as the tide came in.
Under sail we calmly made our way to the back of Brown Sea island, Gus sitting on the bow, looking out for obstructions. Pete asked him at one pint if the coast was clear and the reply from Gus was no, and that there was a canoeist up ahead and that it looked like he was on a death wish, looking to collide with us. As we drew up alongside him it turned put to be a long, lost friend of mine, Tim Bryan! What a wonderful surprise set up by Pete. We took the whole day catching up. Tim and I had done many adventurous trips together and in many ways he was one of my adventure mentors. While we chatted on board, Gus, Caitlin and Pete paddled the canoe and learnt to windsurf. THey had a brilliant teacher and learnt fast. It was time to return with the tide to the harbour but not before dropping Tim off at a point in the harbour called Sandbanks. After the Condor, a channel island ferry had crossed our bows, a giant in comparison to us, Tim jumped into his canoe, put on the spray deck, did two Eskimo rolls and waved goodbye, in true Tim style. Supper that night was an English speciality, a visit to the ight chippy to pick up fish and chips before meeting cousin Liz, her husband Andy and Rosie. We had w wonderful reunion supper on the stainless steel deck overlooking green fields and hills. We spoke late into the night!
Back on the bikes the next morning, Pete, Gus and I cycled from Sandbanks, over the ferry to Studland beach and through the beautiful forests, along lanes and bridle paths while the rest of the gang played crazy golf and and then made their way to Corfe castle where we met them at around lunchtime. The National Trust were putting on a medieval display for the holidays and what an education it was. Demonstrations and talks on cooking, hobbies, body armour, weapons, archery and the history of the castle itself. The children were enthralled, and we were all fascinated to hear that a Broadhead was a person who made a particular type of arrow head for use in battle or hunting. We had our picnic on the beautiful lawns and around 4pm we decided to head home.
It was an action packed day and it was to the lawn that two keen swordsmen took, with Andy being a Great Britain fencing coach, and one with such passion and enthusiasm for his sport, Gus and Caitlin had a life's dream come true. Both, as small children, used to battle it out with swords and now they'd been given a real lesson. The fencing lesson gave way to homemade pizzas in Pete's pizza oven out in the garden. We all mingled and chatted until late into the evening. Before departing the next morning, round two of the fencing contest took place and Pete found time to help G &C make a boomerang with his woodworking equipment. He's a sharp arrow is Pete, multitalented and he and Nix have the kindest of hearts. I can't find the words I would like to use to convey our gratitude to all of those who met us in Poole that week. It was one of those few and very special moments that ones privileged to have in life. It gave us all a great sence of belonging to a wonderful family!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It was so lovely being with cousin Pete and Nicky again. It had been about seven years since we had last seen them in South Africa. For them, spending a night or two on their yacht is a regular weekend activity and they had everything to make it an amazing experience. We moored in a beautifully quiet spot near Anre and Round Island and while Nickynwas cooking the Salmon and beans, a seal frolicked around the boat, inquisitive, but not that brave. It was a very good nights sleep and a time to remember, with the “ting, ting, ting" of the rigging tapping against the mast and the waster lapping against the hull early in the morning as the tide came in.
Under sail we calmly made our way to the back of Brown Sea island, Gus sitting on the bow, looking out for obstructions. Pete asked him at one pint if the coast was clear and the reply from Gus was no, and that there was a canoeist up ahead and that it looked like he was on a death wish, looking to collide with us. As we drew up alongside him it turned put to be a long, lost friend of mine, Tim Bryan! What a wonderful surprise set up by Pete. We took the whole day catching up. Tim and I had done many adventurous trips together and in many ways he was one of my adventure mentors. While we chatted on board, Gus, Caitlin and Pete paddled the canoe and learnt to windsurf. THey had a brilliant teacher and learnt fast. It was time to return with the tide to the harbour but not before dropping Tim off at a point in the harbour called Sandbanks. After the Condor, a channel island ferry had crossed our bows, a giant in comparison to us, Tim jumped into his canoe, put on the spray deck, did two Eskimo rolls and waved goodbye, in true Tim style. Supper that night was an English speciality, a visit to the ight chippy to pick up fish and chips before meeting cousin Liz, her husband Andy and Rosie. We had w wonderful reunion supper on the stainless steel deck overlooking green fields and hills. We spoke late into the night!
Back on the bikes the next morning, Pete, Gus and I cycled from Sandbanks, over the ferry to Studland beach and through the beautiful forests, along lanes and bridle paths while the rest of the gang played crazy golf and and then made their way to Corfe castle where we met them at around lunchtime. The National Trust were putting on a medieval display for the holidays and what an education it was. Demonstrations and talks on cooking, hobbies, body armour, weapons, archery and the history of the castle itself. The children were enthralled, and we were all fascinated to hear that a Broadhead was a person who made a particular type of arrow head for use in battle or hunting. We had our picnic on the beautiful lawns and around 4pm we decided to head home.
It was an action packed day and it was to the lawn that two keen swordsmen took, with Andy being a Great Britain fencing coach, and one with such passion and enthusiasm for his sport, Gus and Caitlin had a life's dream come true. Both, as small children, used to battle it out with swords and now they'd been given a real lesson. The fencing lesson gave way to homemade pizzas in Pete's pizza oven out in the garden. We all mingled and chatted until late into the evening. Before departing the next morning, round two of the fencing contest took place and Pete found time to help G &C make a boomerang with his woodworking equipment. He's a sharp arrow is Pete, multitalented and he and Nix have the kindest of hearts. I can't find the words I would like to use to convey our gratitude to all of those who met us in Poole that week. It was one of those few and very special moments that ones privileged to have in life. It gave us all a great sence of belonging to a wonderful family!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)