February 23rd and it's Nottingham

When I walk Around Nottingham I can usually see various aspects of this building just poking up so that I can work out where I am. It sits on top of the Council House which looks over the square in the centre of town. I am quite fond of it.

I moved to Anne's house

where she lives with her family and this amazing puppy, Freddy. He can't keep his head still. Great to live with the love of a dog again.

After a long motorway trip from Devon with Ted we visited my favourite shoe outlet near Leicester, called Rohde. I bought two pairs of boots; one red one brown and very retro to many but exactly right for me. Then Ted unloaded me onto Anne who was still at work and went off to have his own Nottingham adventure. He was born here and so knows it so well. My great grandma was born here and worked as a lacemaker until a Manchester man swept her off her feet.

From when I was about 5 till 9 we lived in a little town not far from Nottingham called Belper.

This is where we lived - 84 Bridge Street. Downstairs was what we would now call a continental deli and we lived on the two floors above. I loved living here. One of the reasons was that we spent time with my Grandma and Grandad who lived in the village of Fritchley quite close by.

I always love to visit Belper and then get the bus to Fritchley but this time everything was a little different. I caught a bus from Nottingham on Monday - well I and 9 others waited at the stop until a really pleasant bloke came to tell us the bus wasn't going but he would shepherd us to another bus which would get us to the appropriate bus. Now I'm a mature person I don't panic too much at this sort of hitch but instead get close to someone who looks as though they are a local and then charm/pester them with questions. Enter Ross who not only seemed to know where he was going but was from Belper too!! And then it turned out that Ross spent his first twenty something years in Brisbane followed by 20 something years in Denmark. My 'local' picking radar went haywire.

Then guess what? After involving several other kind passengers in my search for a way to get to Fritchley, a woman turned as she left the bus and said 'I'm going to Fritchley. I'll drive you there.' This is the absolute joy for me of travelling. This is Chris in her conservatory with her beloved orchid.

She has lived in Fritchley for 40 years and from her house I could see Grandma's cottage blurrily through the trees which turned out to be the best way because the present owners have built on and doubled the size of the once perfect cottage. Chris says that next time I come on a pilgrimage I can just pop in on her. SO lovely. She also gave me a simple plan for tackling my journey for the next day. But that will be for another episode. here's a teaser photo for my next ep. It's a spring called St Ann's Well at a Spa town. Tata! xxxxxxxxx

What the hell's been happening?

Well you might ask! It's February 15th now. Ted is the ideal host because he seems to love just getting in the car and visiting another village with a tea room and politely saying that he can't remember being there before and so the whole thing is an adventure for us both.



Paddington Railway Station

 This picture on its side is for Pij in case the computer doesn't understand. He'll know why.

I've been practising just taking things as they come without analysing or looking for solutions - please try it. It's fabulous! Just keep yourself nice, clean and smiley. Of course, I don't keep this up forever and try to go for a walk or a Jamesons.

The Ruggleston at Widdecombe

Anyway we've been to Widdecombe, The Ruggleston the tiniest pub,

The Deli at Newton Abbot

Newton Abbot (my favourite cafe ),

                                           Plymouth,

For Anna

               Modbury -yes THE Modbury for other Adelaidians- the pub with the beautiful greyhound for Anna

 Bovey Tracey, Kingsbridge, Chagford, Totnes, and so many other wonderful places like...

The cakes at Ted's favourite cake shop/antiques

Ashburton,

Hound Tor

Jay's grave

Hound Tor where Sherlock Holmes tackled the Baskerville's dog, and nearby Jay's grave where young Jay made pregnant by a lord, committed suicide and so was refused burial in consecrated land and had to be buried on the roadside at the boundary of two counties. Fresh flowers are always placed there. Bagtor where there is a very old waterwheel driven mill,

 Teignmouth, a seaside place for fish and chips (this is Ted in anticipation).

This is a water lane in Ide - I think the locals said it is one of two in the UK. The sign said 'Ford' but when we investigated the water ran right around the bend in front of these cottages! A trick for young players especially at night.

 We were lucky enough to see this lady in a small shop window in Oakhampton.

As you can see, I've got the hang of picture additions. It takes ages so I'll stop doing it for a while except for some ponies - just across the road here. I kid you not! I can't turn them around yet so sorry.

I am so very lucky to be here having this break. Thanks to Ted, it has been so easy to see and do things I could never even known about let alone afford!

Some mornings the car windscreen looked like this in the morning. So magical!
On Friday the next leg of my journey starts as I go to Nottingham for about 10 days. That will be my base to get around and visit childhood places aswell as all the places I knew in the noughties.

Good bye for now. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

February 6th

I promised to tell you about my flight from Malaysia to Heathrow. So, we boarded and I had the last seat at the back - aisle seat of a pair. As i reached up to adjust the airflow a revelation! George Clooney but younger and with dark chocolate eyes and a voice to match....phew... introduced himself and asked if he could assist with the air nozzle. 'Sarah, I too like air.' He was my co-sitter for the 13 hour flight!!Somehow I introduced into the conversation early on that I was an atheist or at least a passionate believer in nature and that hooked him. (hint to all) He was as delightful to talk to as to look at. His attention to personal breath hygene via a little spray immediately charming. We talked about everything including his love for London where he has spent most of his life and how he loves nothing better than to lose himself in the streets and discover new places.

Look, I'm not doing him justice because I can't. It was just like having a huge box of chocolates to choose for 13 hours. When I asked him what he did for a crust he hesitated and then said with a touch of shame(?) but a smile of wondrous brightness 'I am a womaniser' See I took that to mean he loved the company of women. Through the thirteen hours it became obvious that he lost concentration everytime a woman moved into his vision; it was as if he rebooted each time. So we discussed the joys of making love AND I almost feel that I should stop here and prolong things but I am a newie to blogs so I won't take the risk that you'll never return.

Well he asked if I would like him to take me on a walk of his London followed by a lie in his bed. I squirm as I remember that I asked if the sheets would be clean. I loved the fun of it all. I knew he was 40 and he knew I was 60 plus I was wearing my floppy bra and bib shirt incase of spills. He suggested we might do this straight off the plane rather than try and arrange a later more convenient time but I didn't accept. Don't know why. Later through the long night I remember thinking 'Clean sheets, what about condoms for god's sake woman!!' He stroked my serviceable jeans under our airline covers - thankgoodness the trousers were soft velour. Then he fell asleep.  When we were ending the journey I thanked him for a great trip and he looked at me and said 'this is the end!' and that I was to tell no-one of our encounter.

As we went backwards and forwards through the immigration maze we kept meeting and I dropped my eyes trying to respect his need for privacy until at the last turn I glanced demurely up and he gave me an enormous wink.

I looked away. Smell you later. xxxxx

February 4th 2012

Due to this computer not talking to my camera you will have to wait for a visual catch up. I will paint in words such visions you won't mind at all. I hope to add pictures when I can get to an amenable computer.

So this will be catch up and I will head each bit so you can avoid the bits you don't care about. Here goes:

Adelaide Airport

Time for a last Cibo's iced coffee and a quick read of The Age that someone had kindly left.  Look! Max's name.

Kuala Lumpur Lounge

Airport Lounge
As everything in life works out there was the good and the bad of this carefully planned occasion. After all it WAS 8 hours. I soon exhausted the food offerings. The help yourself gin and tonic was a delight and others would have enjoyed the beer on tap. The showering was slightly less refreshing as it was cramped and a bit dated. I coped with that by sprinkling tea tree oil around and then I walked around the four arms of the terminal. The trouble was that we had quite a bit of turbulence on the flight and this unsettled me a bit. I had watched a fabulous film called 'Toast' though. Then it was time to settle down and sleep - there were still 7 hours 35minutes to pass. There were no stretching out chairs except for the massage  chair that I felt was selfish to monopolise, unlike various other customers. So finally some sort of twisted position allowed a little sleep. ..................after 8 hours we boarded and were off!

For Pij xx

Arrival At Heathrow
My British passport and hand luggage let me sail through especially as there was no one on customs at 5.30. Got a bit wary when the ticket machine showed signs of grinding my credit card to bits so paid cash for my ticket on the very fast train to Paddington station. Had to get on quite a slow train first then swapped. Holographic cable tv appeared for jaundiced travellers - you know; the latest stock market etc. Then I waited at a coffee shop for awhile which was quite good as I could get everything out of my bag and try to remember where it should go, put it back, then panic as my purse seemed to have disappeared when i needed to pay for my full English and vat of coffee. I can't explain a flat white; thought I had but got an Americano with a tiny jug of hot milk! Pictures are coming.

My first full English

Paddington Station was the one I needed for my journey down to Newton Abbot in Devon so I sat in front of the board which said which trains were in and weren't and if they were clean. Lots and lots of others joined me because one had to wait till they revealed the correct platform - about 3 minutes before the train left! I was feeling strange and trying to contact loved ones and getting nothing out of the phone boxes. Sorry to all who received very early morning texts. xx

Of course I got on in time and found my seat in the 'quiet car' - the only noise was from a person methodically crunching through a whole bag of snacks. You know rustle, clamp, crunch x4, swallow, rustle, clamp, etc. I tried giving her the British disapproving glare but she was so involved in her pleasure it fell on blind eyes. She was intensely messing with the quiet. (this was partly my jet lag judgement)

Watery Sunshine

On the trip I remembered the grimness of grey, drab, wet living but immediately preferred it to the horror of days followed by nights of unrelenting heat. After the built up area the amazingly beautiful countryside. Watery sunshine then snow. Nearing Newton Abbot the train runs right along the sea and the waves crashed onto the train at one point. I love that bit.

Homelands at Newton Abbot

Newton Abbot is well known to me so I just got a taxi for the short but steep ride to my wonderful Homelands B&B run by Ian and Jane. WOW what a place. One night would set my brain straight and then to meet Ted. (a bit of deception here as i told him i was arriving the following day. It all worked out and he got a bewildered laugh out of it)

OK. This is taking so much longer than I have tonight. You might like to return for more adventures. Especially as i forgot to tell you about the amazingly handsome man I sat next to and slept with of course.

see you! XXXXXXXX