Kent

Our first stop this weekend was Brooklands Musuem which includes the remnants of the first purpose-built motor racing circuit in the world (built in 1907). It was where British motorsport and aviation (home of Concorde) began and where many technological initiatives were explored and progressed. It was a Harry heaven. For me, the best part of the day was the glorious sunshine so when I had seen plenty I found a seat in the sun and soaked up all that Vitamin D. I sat far away from the various scout groups that arrived at a similar time to us (great to see the enthusiasm of the young) and I smiled at the mother trying to explain to her daughter what a typewriter was - computers have existed for ever according to the young!! It was a good day out. Probably the best bit for both of us was the wander through the Concorde - we've been in these planes before at other museums but this one was a bit different as it was the first production Concorde built in Britain - design work began in the late 1950's. It really is quite a sleak piece of machinery. We also had a simulator drive in a 1997 McLaren MP4/12 and a Napier Ralton special 1930's - just to feel the difference in the handling between an older car and the later one. My first experience as a motor car racing driver!!

 A couple of other highlights was seeing BABS (the car where Perry attempted to regain the land speed record from Donald Campbell in the Bluebird). While going 170 miles an hour the car slewed sideways killing Perry. They buried the car in the Pendine Sands and it stayed there until 1960. Also the Sultan of Oman's VC10 was on show - luxury at altitude.

Across the road from Brooklands is the Mercedes Benz museum - and this is where I opted for more Vitamin D and the newspaper while Harry went to investigate (he came out with a little red car as well as some enthusiastic tales of what he saw inside). We had quite a lot of fun racing the little car up and down the corridor in the hotel that evening - but I am not really sure if we should admit that to anyone!! One of the highlights at the museum was a Mercedes Benz Formula 1 car suspended in pieces from the ceiling.

Then it was onto to Ashdown Forest - where Winnie the Pooh and his friends rambled and played. We stopped at Pooh Corner and found an Eeyore, who took us on the tour around the North Pole, Eeyores Sad and Gloomy Place, Place of Enchantment, Roos Sandpit and the Heffalump Track while the sun was setting and the shadows were getting longer. I can remember reading Winnie the Pooh back when I was 6 or 7. We were on a family camping trip at Hatepe (round the shores of Lake Taupo) and I was given the book for Christmas. Mum and Dad wanted to go to Taupo and I wanted to read so I sat in the back reading and got terribly car sick as the Ford Prefect negotiated the windy and hilly roads. Unfortunately, I can't remember much about the stories now but I was still looking forward to exploring the Forest. The Winnie the Pooh stories have been around a lot longer than I have. It is thought that Winnie got his name from a bear brought from Winnipeg by a Canadian soldier who spent most of his life in London Zoo. It is sad to think that AA Milne gave so many children pleasure except his own son Christopher Robin who blamed his Dad for all the teasing he got at boarding school - apparently they never got on. It might be worth reading Christopher's autobiographies now (they're called The Enchanted Places and The Path Through the Trees). Tunbridge Wells was a good place to stay - fairly central with lots of food places to choose from (Asian one night and Indian the next).

Eltham Palace (with a silent h) is a 1930s Art Deco mansion and was on our itinerary the next day. It was built by a wealthy family called the Courtauld's next to the remains of an earlier Eltham Palace which was the childhood home of Henry VIII. To get permission to build the house the family had to restore the Great Hall which the King probably played in. The house is apparently one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in England (it has probably been in programmes like Agatha Christies Poirot). The entrance hall with white furniture probably made the most impression, but there were some pretty luxurious bathrooms and also the renovated Great Hall that stood out a bit. No piccies allowed inside - various reasons flashes can destroy old things and security (there was an arrest of a National Trust member last week who cased some stately homes before stealing antiques from them). We enjoyed the wander around the gardens, had a picnic on the grass and then went to be a 'tourist for the day' in local Eltham (we were given a leaflet and thought it would be fun).

mu

The Bob Hope Little Theatre (Bob Hope was born in Eltham in the early 1900's) is just around the corner from the Palace. We were taken to the auditorium to watch a stage set being created - if we were locals we would be regular attendees of the shows - they looked well priced and a good range of musicals and dramas. We could have also slid down the pole at the local fire station but decided to give that a miss and headed for the local church where we were again offered a free cup of tea and cake by an equally welcoming group of people. One woman had been to NZ and told us of her visit to Eltham in Taranaki (she tried to get the locals to say Eltam but it didn't wash with them). Anyway, apparently during the war the kiwi Eltham parishioners sent tins of butter to the UK Eltham church which they shared over morning tea after the Sunday service. She also told the story of two aborigines visiting Eltham named Bennelong and Yemmerrawannie in the 1790's. Unfortunately Yemmerrawannie died during his visit but Bennelong returned to Aussie. There seems to be some debate on whether these two gentleman were treated with respect or paraded as curiosities. I read that the visit was probably prompted by the then Governor General who asked the two Aborigines to accompany him back to England. The reason for the visit appears to be imparting knowledge to the English during their visit to aid understanding between the cultures.  From the bit of reading I have done I don't think it worked!!

And then onto Greenwich where we explored the Old Royal Naval College buildings a little bit more. We had a quick tour of the Queens House which is now a museum, sat in the chapel for quite a bit longer admiring the ceiling and walls while resting our weary feet and listening to the orchestra and choir rehearsing Haydn's The Creation, and also visited the Painted Hall, which is rather an elaborate dining hall decorated with a number of paintings by James Thornhill (a bit dark and gloomy for someone who likes light but still quite magnificent).