Xmas Build-up!

Today, Friday is really feeling like Commercial Xmas world -wide. I was up at Marks & Spencer in town today at 9.30ish. It was heaving - I think that the whole 60,000,000 were in the store. All I wanted was a couple of bottles of mulled wine. But I am mulled wine-less! If there is one thing I have noticed about English people, bless them, it is that in a high street or in a store their eyes become glazed and tunelled. They seem unable to see people in their path and simply walk into others. Always with a "sorry love".

Later in the afternoon we went to Judith's place to help to prepare for Xmas day. While Gina made a Parsnip soup from Brian's beautiful parsnips straight out of the garden, I forayed into Ripon and made straight for a local butcher of high repute. I knew I wasn't at home as there were unplucked pheasants hanging outside the shop, and prepared partridges, rabbits etc etc etc inside. I came away with a magnificent turkey of 8 Kilos, with an admonishment from the butcher to bring it back immediate if it wouldn't fit in the oven as he would joint it in a jiffy. It fits in the Aga, - just, and is now waiting in the cool of the utility room for its appointment with the oven.

Earlier in the afternoon I had been out taking pictures around Judith and Brian's village of Copt Hewick. So the pix on this blog were taken at about 2.00pm today. Two hours later it was all but dark and the fog was like pea soup.

SEASONS GREETINGS!!

!!MERRY XMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

A VERY COLD EDINBURGH ON MONDAY THIS WEEK

CLICK ON THE PIX TO GET A LARGER VERSION

Skipton Theatre, Cattle Yard Style 29/11/06

Skipton is a lovely market town in the Yorkshire Dales & not far from where Nick did his 2nd pub job at Kettlewell. To get to Skipton from Harrogate is a straight run over "Blubberhouses Moor"
I am pleased to report after a 10min internet search that this means, "house by the bubbling spring" our earlier thoughts of whale trading or people crying on the moors seems far more romantic but there we are.

We arrived in Skipton & predictably as almost every day in this town it was market day. Fortunately there is plenty of parking & rather less than the 5 pounds sterling which seems to be the very least almost everywhere. There are plenty of farms around the area, so lots of things going on in terms of rural activities. One such which we had not quite planned for was back in October when we took ourselves off to the theatre. The production was "A servant with 2 Gaffers" based on the Opera "a Servant of 2 Masters" This was a Yorkshire production & very funny. What we didn't realise when we booked was that it was in the Automart & exactly what that was. the way in is long & winding & no flash, glass fronted, glowing edifice met us, but rather a rather forbidding set of brick buildings. We finally found our way into some sort of entrance hall & after nearly falling over with the smell found that the the theatre was in fact a cattle yard by day & a theatre by night., "eh well mite as well mak a bob or 2 if we can". Actually after we got used to the smell & I had apologised to my new winter coat for it's less than elegant 1 st outing it all turned out to be a very jolly evening.

Birmingham is Compulsive 24/11/06

We've been invited to a 60th Wedding Anniversary Party, imagine that. WHAT an achievement.
Joyce & Dennis were at our wedding 31 years ago. Joyce is John's 1st cousin & has been to NZ so we have lots of chats about the gorgeous places there. They had a lovely party with lots of family & friends from all over the UK.

On the way down for the weekend we wound our way (rather literally) down to Hartington in Derbyshire in the south Peak District. Another gorgeous area with some great walking so another place we have to get back too. We had been here years ago & wanted to go back because there is a farm there which makes fantastic Stilton cheese. It was worth driving an extra hour to get there & we now have a "beautiful baby" round to help celebrate Christmas. John's sense of direction again gave us more challenges, mind you if you are trying to map read with the map upside down it is tricky sorting out right from left & north from south!! Still the dear boy got us there & we were still in time for the pub!! & a lovely lunch.

On Sunday we had a lovely walk to Kinver with Sue & Peter, walking though lovely autumnal woods & looking out to Shropshire. After another good meal at Sue's, part of which was a delicious Damson tart we sped back up to Yorkshire in 3 hours almost all on motorway.

Edinburgh Weekend 11th November

We left Horrogrot (as my nephews very affectionately name it on a Friday morning, which was cool but clear.
Travelling was pleasant & after going over Hadrians Wall we arrived in Jedburgh to find the imposing ruins of Jedburgh Abbey.

In 1745 the Jacobite army led by Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through Jedburgh & we walked up Cannongate where he led his army.

Also passed the house on this street that Robbie Burns lived in for a while.

We ate our egg sandwiches by the River Jed & looked at the monument to James Hutton a famous geologist who studied rock formations in the area, noting the different strata layers & forming ideas of how the earth had developed with pressures & upheavals.

We moved on through more wonderful countryside & autumn leaves past an amazing wind farm & into Scotland's capital city.

After finding our humble lodging we met our lovely Nick outside M & S the ubiquitous English landmark. We made our way by now in pouring, cold rain to a nearby hostelry which soon restored our spirits.

Nick had to go to work in his pub so John &
I found a pizza restaurant & are still recovering from paying 40 pounds for 2 pizza's, 2 salads & a bottle of wine. The next day fortified with haggis, black pudding & various accompaniments we tackled the museums. Quite a good place to be with howling, cold winds outside.

The Scottish National Portrait gallery was first, in an amazing building specially built for the purpose. Whilst I browsed pictures of notable Scots, one of the Duke of Argyll by Gainsborough which is amazing. John opted for the modern photography of Benson who has apparently photoed anyone who is anyone (can't think why none of us were there) After sipping hot chocolate & lunching with Nick he preferred to go to his work than trail around the National Gallery. Here are housed Scottish painters, French impressionists & the Italian school a lovely Raphael of the Madonna & child, amazingly they have established that the background was painted twice by the artist & then painted out entirely. After all this John was ready to get the paper & go home.

I opted for a walk to the castle & along Princes' Gardens in the autumn sunshine, lukewarm as it was.

The next day after another fortifying Scottish breakfast which leaves you not needing to eat for another 2 days we made our way to Leith on the docks to have a squizz at the Britannia which is permanently moored there. Not very impressed by the ship but definitely were by the geese goosewinging up the estuary. As many places in the world I guess Edinburgh is trying to recreate it's waterfront for all the tourists & although not there yet is making good progress. We visited Nick in his pub on the way home & came via the East Coast & Holy Island & the Castle at Lindesfarne.

Whilst not having the time & my husband little inclination to walk to the castle we did chat to avery nice man in the car park who had a beautiful miniature Snauzer nearly as nice as Charlie. We talked about how wonderful the breed was & how wonderful England is. As we were getting in our car he came back to us & gave us a box of chocolates specially packaged fro the House Of Commons (we know he wasn't Tony Blair but thats about all) felt rather miffed we were not given chocs from the House of Lords.

Jedburgh History
Jedburgh is only 10 miles from the English border so the site of many a skirmish. Apparently there was a royal residence here until the 1400's when it obviously became too much to fend off the frequent marauding hoardes.
David 1 of Scotland made this a priory in 1138 & it housed Augustinian Monks from France. The abbey itself was founded in 1147.
Mary Queen of Scots house was newly built in 1566 when she visited. Apparently inside is one of her shoes & her watch. In 1745 the Jacobite army led by Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through & we walked up Cannongate where he led his army.

History of Lindisfarne & Holy Island
This is a very ancient Christian stronghold, the first monastery was built in 635AD, by Irish monks who came from Iona they were given support by King Oswald in Bamburgh.They set up the first known school in the area.

Lindisfarne became known for its skill in Christian art of which the Lindisfarne Gospels still survive.

The Benedictine Period: After the Norman Conquest (1066) the Bendictine monks of Durham possessed the undecayed body of St.Cuthbert. They fled with the body after being attacked by the Normans in the 1100's to many parts of Yorkshire a significantly Bolton Abbey & Fountains Abbey, both near where we are.

later on the Island a second monastery was built. It was finally dissolved by HenryVIII in 1536.
The ruins of the second monastery can still be seen. The first monastery, originally built entirely in wood, has disappeared. But there is evidence that the present parish church of St.Mary the Virgin stands on the site of Aidan's original monastery this was built prior to 1066.

Day Trip to Hebden Bridge 5/11/06

We met Jenny & Keith in this lovely village south of the Bronte country & Haworth.
Hebden Bridge is named after the packhorse over the Hebden water. It was apparently a meeting point of packhorse routes in medieval times from as far away as Rochdale in Lancashire.

It was another major textile area in the industrial revolution & of course now is having to find other ways of attracting people into the area. It was doing a fine job on the day we were there. We went off to our pub lunch & made our way to a lounge which was quite & away from the "great unwashed". However some local families & their children also had the same idea. Our hearts sank, however our companions turned out to be lovely people with very modern dad's who did all the child minding, baby changing, feeding whilst the women sat & chatted.
(hmm smart women, lovely dads!!)

Our post-prandial walk was down by the canal, where Keith & John dawdled to chat to some rather taciturn barge owners who were managing the locks. They thawed out a bit after a chat about their Manchester journey & a little help with loch gates.

John & I drove home over the moors & headed for home along the Skipton road. About 10 miles from home we were diverted off the road because of an accident. Great stuff, you get turfed off the road but no-one tells you where the accident is so that you can get back on the road after the blockage. We ended up on another adventure going via Pateley Bridge.

That night was bonfire night so we went off up to "the Stray" to look at the fireworks. Actually the Christmas lights in the trees were much more impressive I thought.

Huddersfield Weekend 6/10/06

Hudderspuddle as we fondly call it is where I lived until 18yrs.
It was a thriving textile town in it's heyday, now with the demise of the industry & the old mills being converted into luxury apartments it was looking rather grubby. However our good friends Jenny& Keith are anything but of course. I have known Jenny since we wore our starched white aprons with our names embroidered on the front which we painstakingly did in needlework, before we were let loose in Mrs Beeches kitchen to learn the secrets of making scotch eggs & baked apples.

We had a lovely weekend exploring old haunts outside the town, John was definitely not keen to see my old haunts inside the town, (neither was I much) We went to Holmfirth where "Last of the summer wine" was filmed & eventually found "Norah Batty's Steps" & "Sid's Caf"
Like everywhere it seems places are re-creating themselves & what we once thought as rather grim workers towns have transformed themselves with boutique shops & trendy coffee shops.
The same day after a rather circuitous route (this time courtesy of Gina, whose sense of direction & map reading skills were novel to say the least) we went up to "Castle Hill" which definitely was an old haunt. There used to be a pub with a night club up there which is now demolished. Just the Victorian tower which was built in 1899 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her reign & the fantastic views remain

Birmingham Land of the Brummy August 2006

As usual I wanted to pack as much into a trip as possible so persuaded John that we could certainly fit in a visit to Hardwick Hall on the way down. John is getting a little jaded with country houses but enjoyed this one as it is virtually untouched since it was first occupied by Bess of Hardwick who built it in the 1500's. An ambitious lady this she married 4 times each to a man of money so she build her "dream house". well it's not to everyones taste with old Halls & long galleries but no doubt created quite a swell impression at the time. Bess was one of Elizabeth 1st ladies in waiting & they had planned to guard Mary Queen of Scots here but never got round to it. (she was at Chatswood which is not far away & owned by the same family)
The gardens are impressive & formal.

After all this culture we ate our egg sandwiches in the grounds & then drove onto Bromsgrove where my cousin Sue lives, with her husband Peter who is the headmaster of a private school there. My auntie Marie lives with them & keeps the garden immaculate.
Peter & Sue are also very fond of food & drink. Sue is a marvellous cook & Peter has a very extensive cellar, which we added too & quickly drank again, comparing some beautiful NZ & Australian wines with some French.

We spent a day at Worcester which is a little further South of Sue & Peter & visited the impressive cathedral. King John the horrible is buried here & brings back memories of AA Milne's "King John was not a good man" "Blushing beneath his crown". A nice stroll round the canals looking at the flood points ended the sojourn.

Next day was spent at Stratford On Avon strolling again by the water, with thankfully less reminders of flooding, though the hapless rowers who lost their boats may have preferred a view of the bank from a different angle.

Views & a walk around the Malvern Hills looking into Wales kept us occupied the next day, famous for it's curative waters & Sir Edward Elgar, who was said to be inspired by the gorgeous views. We felt less inspired wandering round them in a roaring wind which whilst good for the kite flyers made us feel rather vulnerable if we got too close to the edge.

Howard Castle (Home of Brideshead re-visited)

This was a little adventure with my sister & her lovely friend Norma, both of whome can talk for England so we had a very jolly, witty day. The event was Christmas Shopping in the castle in aid of "save the Children" Of course with these things you know you are going to be paying though the nose but what the heck, all in a good cause & a great venue.

I went by train through Starbeck, (uhgg) then through Knaresborough over the bridge (ahhhh) & into Cattle (hmmmm) Judith met me there in the car & we drove to the outskirts of York to meet Norma.

The house is Baroque & built in 1699 by the 3rd earl of Carlisle. It is quite an amazing house & the gardens even more so, lakes, woods etc & wonderful stands of beech trees as you drive down the avenue.

Judith & Norma are probably famous for going to the Christmas fair & never buying anything, except Xmas cards & we thought this time they may not even achieve that. Judith however bought a lovely jacket from a woman who came from the south of England as many of the stall holders had. I bought some greeting cards, it was left to uphold the standards of the thrifty.

Visit to the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Milan

Photos only. Full text to follow.

View of the cemetery from the main gate. Percy's grave amongst those on the left

The section where Percy is buried

Percy's headstone

Percy's nephew, John, beside the the grave

John sprinkling sand from Stanley Bay Beach, Auckland on the grave.
John and Gina also took some pebbles from the grave for the Vasiliki and Georgos in Koukounara

John with the gardener.

The book of rememberance is housed here

Digging / field walking and musing

The main reason for our trip to Greece was, of course, to try and make contact with people who had sheltered my uncle in 1941, 1942. And how successful we have been!
Successful beyond our expectations because of the help we have received from the staff of the University of Missouri, St Louis. Their enthusiasm for us to be successful is only matched by the practical help they are giving us.

And the course is a fantastic experience also. Every day we are up at 5.30 ish for a good breakfast and then out to the bus ( a beautiful new Mercedes model with a very careful diver from guess where: yep, Koukounara!).
The jobs are rotated so you might find yourself field walking one day, cleaning specimens at the Pylos museum the next, then on the actual dig and helping the Sat Nav team the next. So if you are on the Sat Nav team you're up a bit earlier to get out into the field to set up the days grids for the field groups to cover.

I enjoyed that immensely as my grandfather was a land surveyor and used a theodolite and chain as his tools of trade. Nowadays of course all coordinates are obtained from satellites and distances are measured similarly or by laser. He would have been delighted, especially when I remember the mistakes I made when "chaining" for him!

No log tables , no chain tables to take into account the curve in the chain over the distance. But above all the mystery and the inevitable accuracy and truth of Mathematics. I'm a sucker for it: theory proven in the pursuit of a useful task and combined with the latest technology. And he was too!

But the essence of the practical side of the course is the field walking. And we did a lot of that. Split up into field teams of about 8 each and led by an experienced archaeologist we followed the grids laid out by the Sat / Nav team. After being dropped of by the bus at about 8.30 ish we walk to the grid site and our leader sets us up with compasses. We then walk our section of the grid very slowly looking down and around to find the slightest trace of an ancient artifact.
Sometimes we retrace our steps if the country is difficult. Now and again we are successful as we hold up a piece of brick. But often the leader says, "Great finding but it's modern". "Modern"is something I do not like! But today I excel my self and pick up a piece of the base of a 2000 year old drinking vessel.
Quite proud I am. Of to the museum for classification and then it will probably be returned almost to the exact spot that I found it.

Top: Fieldwalking country
Middle: J. A. Parry, Registered Surveyor, King Country, New Zealand C1915.
Bottom: What a find!

Georgos

Having met Georgos the other day we had arranged to meet up again for dinner at the local restaurant in Koukounara this evening. Our jewel of a taxi driver, Christos, took us to Koukounara, (how easy it rolls off the tongue yet how hard it has been to find) where we picked up Georgos, his housekeeper Valentina, and headed out to the restaurant at about 8.30.

Well what a meal. All local meats and vegetables topped off with local vino! A great night of stories and anecdotes and wonderful company. Georgos and Christos speak excellent English, both having lived overseas for many years. Georgos lived in the USA for 30 years and still has a daughter there.
Georgos knew Snow and Ernie really well and helped them to shift between different houses. He was away some of the time in the Albanian Campaign and when he came back to Greece was involved in intelligence work which generally made life difficult for the invading German & Italian forces. He tells of blowing up bridges to stop the German advances. He also tells of informers who betrayed Snow and Ernie. Yet one of the wonders is that he, along with the others hold no grudges and the families of all sides live in peace and good will.

Georgos owns large tracts of olive groves and has given us some beautiful olive oil to take back to England. He tells us that Greek olive oil is the best in the world and is added to the Italian variety to improve the Italian quality. Certainly the Greek stuff is wonderfully fresh, sweet and aromatic.

As we leave the restaurant at about 11.00 pm we have been fed to bursting by Georgos. The restaurant owner and his daughter have not stopped bringing dish after dish! And we notice at that time that the Greek families are starting to come in for dinner. Whole families, with infants are crowding into the place in the cool of the night.

Top right: Christos, John, Georgos and Valentina.
Bottom centre: Gina, Georgos and Valentina.

Vasiliki

Today after returning from our field work, one of lecturers, Nancy, drove me back out to Koukounara and interpreted for Vasiliki and I. Neither of us speak more than a couple of words of each other's language. So Nancy was essential and much appreciated.
Vasiliki and I sat holding hands in her beautiful lounge while we conversed through Nancy. The house was cool and a real oasis from the heat outside.
One of the first things Vasiliki told me was that Snow (Percy) would cry each day because he missed his sister, Peggy, who was of course my mother. He was considered a son by Vasiliki's father and Snow called him Dad. Snow worked in the olive groves and often he and Ernie Clarke would sleep out in the groves if German or Italian troops were known to be about. The locals had a really simple way of knowing this: their dogs would bark if a stranger came anywhere near. Snow and Ernie would usually live in Vasiliki's

or Georges' parent's houses. They would not stay in one house for long, but would move around.


They would frequently "go bush"and range over a wide range of land around Pylos and Koukounara. That is why, for me, it was so poignant to be walking over the same ground, avoiding snakes and scorpions just like Snow and Ernie. Not only that but most of the trees were the sames trees as those he wold have pruned, picked and tended.

One morning the dogs started barking when Snow and Ernie were still in bed at Vasiliki's house. Snow had not hidden his rifle and to be found with a rifle meant death. So Vasiliki's father put on his overcoat, placed the rifle inside, along his leg, picked up a bucket and went outside in front of the Italian soldiers, to the village well, where he dropped the rifle. Vasiliki said she heard the splash as it hit the water. He came back to the house and said, " Now even if they find it they won't know how long it has been there."

However after 10 months or so, the Italians got wise and were waiting in the groves when the villagers went to work. They picked up Snow and another soldier (not Ernie). There was an informer in the village. Ernie mentions in his book Over The Fence is Out, that one informer was found strung up in a tree, having been rewarded by the Italians with a presentation of money.
The villagers continued to shelter allied soldiers and around 1943 twelve houses were burnt to the ground as a reprisal.

The pictures above show
top left: Snow either in Egypt, Greece or Italy.
top right: Snow, Peggy and Ivan at Stanley Bay, Auckland circa 1939. Ivan also became a POW but survived the war.
botton left: An old building in Koukounara which Snow and Ernie would have known.

Meeting Vasiliki and Georgos

We have now made contact with the two main families who sheltered my Uncle during WW2. We were overwhelmed to meet each other. My uncle, or Snow, as he was known, was treated as a son by the family of Vasiliki, the lady I met yesterday. Snow called Vasiliki's father Dad. Lots of tears of joy! She was a girl of 10 at the time and remembers Snow as a very tall blond, extremely handsome boy. They all want to retain contact and to ensure that the contact continues down the generations. We really have a family here in Greece.

On Monday, Gina and I are having dinner with another gentleman of 90 who looks about 75. His family also looked after Snow and he remembers Snow and Ernie really well as he was a little older than them. He is also keen to give us contact details of his sons in USA and in Athens.

It has been a very emotional but rewarding time! I can hardly believe we have made contact. It was in 2000 that I started the research. There could not have been a better outcome.

In his book Ernie Clarke refers to the hospitality and the kindness of the Greeks. We have found this also. From the Prof down everyone has done their best to facilitate our search for Snow's shelterers.

Gina's fall

My reverie in the olive groves was rudely disturbed at about 3.00pm by the approach of a staff car and the news that Gina had injured herself and was in Pylos hospital. In the town square of Koukounara she had misjudged a jump down from the back of a trailer and fell, literally on her face. She has a suspected very slight fracture to the bridge of her nose and another slight one in her left wrist. I was taken post haste to the hospital where I found my wife being looked after not only by doctors and nurses, but also by fellow students and university staff. She was shaken but unstirred!

By the time she had plugs inserted in her nose Miss Piggy wasn’t in it! We made an appointment for X-rays the following morning and took her home to the hotel and bed.

She received superb care from the hospital and wonderful support from the university.

First day in the field

I think we’re going to love Pylos. The little cafes and stalls, by no means flash, are just our cup of tea.

The course is well run and headed by a prof who is eminent in his field and who has already found strong evidence of a large new site.

We have state of the art equipment which plots the site and finds using satellites, etc etc. It is hard work in the sun but is rewarding.

I volunteered to look after this equipment on the first day. I had a wonderful time with my camera as there was nothing to do except keep out of the sun and make sure the equipment was functioning properly.

The equipment was sited in olive groves north and about 5 kms inland from Pylos. It afforded a fantastic view out to sea and extensive views of the extensive olive groves in the area.

Percy new these groves like the back of his hand as he worked on the family’s groves and used them to evade his hunters. All I could hear were cicadas, an occasional distant tractor and Pilot of the Greek Air Force training overhead. Pure bliss!!

Arrival in Pylos 1st June 2006

Arrived in Pylos by bus after a long and slow rail journey to the railhead at Kyparissia.

The hotel is very nice indeed and we have a room with a balcony overlooking the Med! So can’t complain! There are not as many oldies on the course as we had anticipated but everyone seems extremely pleasant and the younger students are just delightful. We have been for a walk into the town centre , - about 2 minutes away. There is a lovely piazza and it is strange to think that my uncle would have come here on occasions and that he would have been very careful not to get picked up by Italian or German troops. He was initially imprisoned in the new castle here but escaped, so a visit there is a must. One can see part of it from the hotel.

Pylos is simply a delightful small town with exceedingly pleasant inhabitants. It faces to Bay of Navarina which has many Turkish and Greek ships both relatively modern and of antiquity on its bottom, and it stretches like a climbing white rose up the hills along the Bay. Percy and his mates witnessed what was probably the latest battle at Pylos as Allied planes bombed an Italian cruiser and its attendant refueling tanker as they were moored at the Pylos dock. Hard to imagine on this azure, cloudless Sunday in June ’06. The cruiser got away but the tanker was destroyed. And just a few metres from where we are standing.

The Continent Looms

Took the 7.34AM train from York to Kingscross London thanks to Judith dropping us at the station. Said farewell to Judith and Brian the night before with a good bottle of Marlborough Pinot Noir. Sainsburys own but really Withers Hill. 9 pounds and worth it. Thanks J&B!

Trains are incredibly fast and we arrived in London around 11.00am, got the underground to Victoria and were in Dover at 2.00 ish. Caught the Ferry to Calais at 2.45 and in Calais at 4.00. A smooth crossing thanks to the ships stabilisers but really quite rough. Spray being thrown up and then suddenly changing direction to absolutely horizontal in the wind. Left UK and entered France with no customs at all.
Calais pretty bleak, but found a nice hotel and a great restaurant; Escargot followed by beef stew or Salmon and then Creme Brulee: cheeses and Coffee; With a bottle of wine the bill was about 120 dollars. And excellent service. The cheeses are to die for! lots of locals eating and drinking too.
Caught the high speed train to Lille this morning and then another to Marseille where er are now; So the length of France in 5 or 6 hours. The trains fly!
Had a small altercation on the train today with é jumped up guards. They demanded our seats for their office. We had to give them up after an arguement. One of the passengers is going to complain about them for us.

The Green of England

Firstly I apologise for the spelling mistakes over the next 2 months. We are now in France and the keyboards are subtley and devilishly different!

Forgot to mention that last Sunday , while walking to Cousins Prue and Ted's that we came across a marvellous ceremony. The Royal Engineers, who had just come back from Iraq have the freedom of the city of Ripon in North Yorks; As we got to the town square so did the Engineers complete with arms, brass band and a welcoming party of the Mayor, councillors and the Bishop and congregation. Very impressive but I was shocked at the youth of the soldiers; The closeness of the church and state was also writ large.

Later in the week Ted delivered information about the site of my uncle's grave in Milan; If you read this Ted, many thanks!

On Friday went into Manchester and got our national insurance numbers and visited an ESOL dept at The Uni College of Manchester. Could be jobs in teacher training;big emphasis on literacy and numeracy and esol seems to be lumped into that basket:. Oh Dear!

Visited Wensleydale and the old pub where we spent our honeymoon.

The richness of the green of England is almost unbelievable. 60 million people here and often in the country the only sounds are the birds and the wheat growing; The RAF is never far away and military bases and jets tend to shatter the solitude. But it's still a great place.

Spring is here!

Having said goodbye to most of you over the last week or so (thanks for coming to the Cavalier!) we said farewell to Sam and to Janice, Julie and Bill, Lindy and Gary and Christine and then.......

Arrived at Manchester Tuesday morning at 7.00am and 9 degrees. Thanks Carmel! The spring has sprung and the weather welcomed us with clear blue skies and a final temp of around 24 degrees. Caught the trans-Penine Express to York and were met by Gina's sister, Judith. Got to Copt Hewick and promptly went out for a walk and a beer with Brian and Judith. It was really like coming home.

There followed 2 days of glorious weather and visits to old villages in the Dales like Hawes which is the highest town in Yorkshire.
The narrow lanes and streets of this town typical of the area. What is most outstanding is the pleasant, helpful nature of the Northeners. Had a wonderful lunch at a cheese factory. Deep fried Wenselydale feta, with local chutney and salad. Simple.
Went to another pub the next day and couldn't get a drink because the bar staff were playing cricket.

At 9.30am on Friday went to a local phone shop in Ripon to pick up a new Sim card. The shop was closed and as we knocked on the door a bloke came past and said, "She's always late opening up. Come back at 10.00." All without eye contact or a break in his step.

The early dawn chorus is much more strident than at home and starts about 4.00am when light comes. Dark returns at about 9.30.
Today (Sat) the mist has come down and the drizel has started. May be a frost tonight they say. Walked to a local pub and had a Theakstons and a Guinness. Ran into a wedding party intent on getting blotto before the wedding.

We have delayed our departure for Greece until next weekend so that our British Credit Cards come through before we go. Still plenty of time to be there by 1st June and it means we will have more time after the course for travel.

I'm on dinner and a risotto is in the offing. With 2 bottles of Aussie red.
Will not post many pix on this blog as it slows down the loading time, but will put some up on photobucket.com and will let you know when.

Cheers
John & Gina

Tuesday 9th May getting closer

The past week has seen a huge hole made in tasks. Friends Sue and Sa came and took away a heap of stuff to the tip. A huge thanks, Guys! Packing boxes are piling up for the movers to collect on Thursday. Have had a number of visitors wishing us well and a lovely dinner with long time neighbours, Boon, Sheryl and their two wonderful kids, Hilary and Megan. Can't believe how grown up and sophisicated they both are. And Hilary getting married in January to a very fine bloke.
Caught up this weekend with more long time friends Wayne and Sue. Much wine, whiskey and beer drunk and the world was put to rights. Great to catch up.
Got Sam set up in a nice apartment in Symonds St. About 10 mins from the Uni so all is good there.
Nick returned to the UK after 3 weeks. He was sad to go but also looking forward to getting together with his mates in Birmingham.
And a the family funeral for Aunt Louise at St Davids. A fitting tribute to a great person and educationalist. Caught up with many family members we haven't seen for years.
Sold my car for almost literally, a song. But it's sold and we can use it for the rest of the week. The bloke who bought it has a real good car. The price of 6 cylinder cars has really dropped.
Next week we have only 3 days to finish packing. The race is on!

House Rented

Great news today. Our house is rented to a very nice Irish family.

More news from the Uni of Missouri. They are on to it. Most of the students have now given brief profiles of themselves. All seem much younger, but a very interesting crowd. Mostly from US but also from Australia, Canada etc.

John