Magic

Kim and Mike returned to Essex by way of the New Forest, taking in the vibrant greens of new Spring growth on the trees, watching the ponies and generally relaxing.  There’s something very special and unique about an English Spring Day and they made the most of the season.  In just a few days the hedgerows changed from bare brown sticks to a mass of green leaves, decorated with white and pink blossom.

They also found time to check out the Bombay Sapphire gin distillery where Kim was treated to ‘The Laverstoke’ a new cocktail and Mike learned a lot about botanicals.

Essex found them taking the traditional walkway in Maldon, trying to avoid the traditional rain.  They took Mike’s brother Malcolm with them and enjoyed a pint at Heybridge Basin.  Several decades ago Mike sailed these waters and it seemed as though little had changed, just the price of beer had increased.

The younger members of the family grew up with the Harry Potter stories and so Kim and Mike made the trip to Watford for the Making of Harry Potter studio experience.  They found it fascinating, not only for the scale of the film sets but also for the attention of detail that had been incorporated into every scene.  Each character had its own individual wand, every costume and prosthetic was made to include the tiniest of detail and each set appeared so realistic it was easy to believe that the magic was real.

Mike was particularly taken with the Knight bus, created from three regular buses . . . .

. . . . while Kim admired the huge and incredibly detailed model of Hogwarts.

Then it was back to Essex and time to catch up with friends.  They stayed with Paul and Sue, who were neighbours until Kim and Mike moved to Australia.  Many happy memories were rekindled as they enjoyed their legendary hospitality under the thatched roof of their medieval cottage.

The story will finish here because things get a bit complicated later.  More will be revealed in the next blog.

Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion

The main reason Kim and Mike made the journey to Bristol was to spend time with James, Mike’s eldest son.  James’ work life is demanding and it was a special treat that he was able to take a week away to show us around the city.

Bristol is a thriving place that is proud to show off its history and art.  There’s a lot of Brunel of course.  The SS Great Britain, from 1845 to 1854 the longest passenger ship in the world has been restored from a rusted hulk to demonstrate how magnificent it once would have been.  Especially impressive is the replica engine, complete with its eighteen feet diameter main gear and giant pistons, all of which move.  Cabin and galley reconstruction tell stories of earlier times whilst six towering masts dominate the sky above decks.

Of course Isambard Kingdom Brunel was also responsible for the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.  The trio walked it several times and checked out the visitor centre that clearly explains the challenges of building and the innovative method of construction.  The bridge was opened in 1864 and in its 150 years of operation has been closed due to adverse weather only once (in 2015).  Originally designed to cater for horse-drawn traffic, the Clifton Suspension Bridge today serves as a crossing for more than four million vehicles every year.

Brunel’s achievements are recognised as being remarkable.  Mike asked him about it but found IKB to be most reticent in his responses.

Kim, Mike and James walked around the ‘Floating Harbour’, several times in fact, spotted yet more engineering masterpieces including a very early water powered hydraulic system, Brunel’s ‘other’ bridge (a smaller swing bridge) but never did get to fully understand which bit was supposed to be floating.  However, it’s a bustling, picturesque place made lively by locals and visitors alike, sampling the delights of myriad cafes and bars that line the docksides.

Now it’s not clear why it was decided to produce a knitted Bristol, but a lot of effort must have been required to make the display.  Maybe the artistic side of the city influenced the decision.

Bristol does have a thriving art scene.  Banksy lives there and his work can be seen, that is, if you have a local guide like James.  Mike especially liked this take on Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a pearl earring’.

One high spot of the week was a visit to The Puppet Place.  Bristol is the where Wallace and Gromit have their adventures, where Shaun the Sheep gets up to mischief, where Chicken Run was filmed, where Morph was created and where puppetry thrives in many forms.  At the Puppet Place Generator, four very different puppetry acts were presented, all entertaining, all comical.  At the fund raising auction at the end, James bid for and won the star lot, a model of Morph made there and then by Peter Lord, the creator of the character.  James also gets a private tour around the Aardman Studios.  Just let’s say that there were a lot of very envious people in the room that evening.

James also created his own private contribution to the Bristol world of art.  Everyone got stuck in with paint and brushes to revamp the courtyard.  Note the water feature and James’ ‘artistic’ scooter hanging on the wall.

And so a terrific week came to an end.  Kim and Mike made their way to Essex and James returned to work.  Thank you James for a great time.

Glorious Albion

There’s something special about Springtime in the English countryside.  Vibrant iridescent pale greens of new growth in the hedgerows shimmer in the bright sunlight.  The dark skeletons of deciduous trees burst into glorious pink and white blossom.  Yellow daffodils nod their heads in the gentle breeze whilst pale blue carpets of bluebells impart a gently perfume into the dappled sunlight and a bumble bee takes full advantage of the available pollen.

We arrived in the UK to be greeted with sleet and rain but that lasted only the first day.  Then the sun appeared, the temperature increased and Mike approached his first pint of real ale with a certain trepidation.  Would he still enjoy the taste of a ‘real’ beer?  Had his taste buds been corrupted by what Australians call XXXX (they’re embarrassed to call it beer)?  Nervously he approached the foaming brew and after the first sweet mouthful the world took on a golden hue and improved considerably.  Now the only problem with real ale is that it has a tendency to evaporate when you’re not looking and all too soon the glass became empty.  Fortunately an alert landlord spotted the dilemma and came to the rescue with a further supply.  So should you find yourself in the wilds of Essex our recommendation for a perfect brew and an excellent meal is the Square and Compasses at Fuller Street.

One of the reasons Kim and Mike made the journey was to celebrate the 70^th birthday of Mike’s brother Malcolm.  Malcolm has no sight but it did not stop him from the traditional act of blowing out the candles on his cake.  Fortunately avoidance of the one candle per year tradition meant that a re-enactment of ‘The Towering Inferno’ did not take place.

It’s always difficult to find time to visit everyone that they would like to see but it was possible to catch up with some friends, to reminisce about times past, to learn how families have grown, how child offspring have become responsible adults, how teenage romances became lifelong partnerships and what others have on their bucket lists.   No names, no photos, just a great big thank you for the hospitality and the laughs.  Memories will be enhanced and photographs perused for some time to come.  

And of course there are certain places that must be visited.  They’d done the Square and Compasses so next on the list was the Butt and Oyster at Pin Mill.  Years age Mike would sail there and when very young Kim would holiday at her grandparents house nearby.  The tide was out so the scene was typically East Anglian – a sea of mud.  But interesting mud complete with a couple of picturesque Thames barges in the foreground.

Mike met up with his old drinking buddies from a previous life in the UK for a traditional Friday evening pub session.  Later, staying with good friends and ex-neighbours next door to where they once lived, the convivial evening meal completed with one of Sue’s magnificent cheese boards with a rather excellent red wine – is there a pattern appearing here?