Exeter

We received our census papers this week.  What a different way of handling it to NZ.  Pushed through the letter box and with a postal address to send it back to there is no guarantee everyone will fill it out.  No 'individual' information wanted on defacto relationships (ie you are either never married or in a civil partnership, married, separated, divorced or widowed or a few other options which don't fit our situation at all).  The ethnicity questions asks me if I am white, black, mixed, multiple or other.  I'll enjoy filling it out - though if I don't I have a feeling we won't get chased - I can do it online as well.
We visited Exeter - it is not far away - but it is one of those places you pass by when going somewhere else. Originally settled by the Romans (little evidence of that except for remnants of a city wall that has been patched by many over the centuries).  There are some lovely old buildings which managed to escape the bombings of WWII. In the 16th century a canal was built and the quay was built which provides a focus for the town (the scene for the Onedin Line - yes some of us are old enough to remember that tv series).  Along the quayside are warehouses built into the cliffs which have been renovated and turned into little boutique shops selling a range of high quality jewellery, pottery, wooden things. We wandered around the wharves and crossed the bridge to the other side (if we were lazy we could have caught the cable boat for 50p). We then wandered up the hill to the town and the cathedral taking more photos along the way.

We wandered the town for a while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of the place and found an amazing chocolate shop.  After blind folding Harry and putting a peg on his nose I managed to steer him out of the shop without any purchases.   Funny though - while we were standing in the Exeter passages way below ground level the guide told us that we were directly under Hotel Chocolat.  From the look on Harry's face I could tell he had an inspiration - it involved dynamite and a pick axe!! The passages were built to provide Exeter with a water supply back in Roman times - water was piped through lead pipes that sat in passages (rather than tunnels they were created in small valleys and a brick roof built over them).  The passages are small - I even banged my hard hat on the roof and had to walk sideways along some of them. I did wonder how the ghost cyclist managed to get through and perhaps that is why we didn't see him - he only cycles the passages when no-one is around. We had dinner in Exmouth and watched the game between Wales and Ireland which Wales won - it wasn't a particularly inspiring game (but my Welsh workmates didn't seem to care) and at half time I went for a wander along the beach - it was golden sand!!

We've decided to try and see some more local scenery and on Sunday we visited Oldbury Court Estate - it has been around for a while as it was first mentioned in the Domesday Book but we've only just discovered the place about 10 miles away.  The park runs down to the River Frome and has lots of spring flowers, places for kids to play, squirrels that have plenty of trees to escape from barking dogs.  It took the little terrier a long time to realise he was never going to catch a squirrel by standing at the trunk of the tree barking.  We actually think the squirrel was teasing him. Kids swam in the river (pretty cold) but we were happy to walk along beside the flowing water and then up the hill back to our picnic. Before venturing back to the house we had a quick wander through the Arnos Vale Cemetery (my idea not Harry's).  It is so like Karori cemetery - old, broken gravestones, long grass and a group of 'friends' attempting to tidy it up. It has a history which is why I was keen to visit.  In the mid 1800's it was decided that Bristol's old graveyards were a bit overcrowded and a health hazard. A 'stylish yet spacious alternative' was created and a cemetery that would be filled with sun, fresh air, trees was created by designing it on classical Greece landscape.  Little can be seen of what was created but still an interesting place, as cemeteries go.

 This week our thoughts are with the people of Japan and the devastation of their country.

Killerton

The week started off with a demotion to the the beginners dance lesson - our choice - we are not very good and with having missed a couple of lessons found we were leaving each lesson more mystified than when we arrived. We think we have now mastered the basic turn in a waltz and can do the cha cha and quick step but not very well - perseverance is still required!!  We also went to Chess.  The show is up there for us with Billy Elliot, Wicked and Blood Brothers. We didn't know the story well - so did a bit of research - it was written by Tim Rice and the 2 guys from ABBA Bjorn and Benny. The story is about a game of chess during the cold war when a stroppy American (based on Bobby Fischer I gather) plays a good looking young Russian. A Hungarian woman (the manager of the American) falls in love with the Russian and the Russian defects leaving his wife and children in Russia. Next year the competition is in Bangkok - a rematch but the Russian wife turns up - you can just imagine the emotional turmoil.  We enjoyed it immensely but as I was walking out I heard some one say 'it was ok' - you can't please everyone!! My favourite song...
Nothing is so good it lasts eternally
Perfect situations must go wrong
But this has never yet prevented me
From hoping for too much for far too long
Looking back I could have played it differently
With a few more moments, who can tell?
But it took time to understand the man
Now at least I know I know him well
Wasn't it good?
(Oh so good)
Wasn't he fine?
(Oh so fine)
Isn't it madness he won't be mine
But in the end he needs a little bit
More than me, more security
(He needs his fantasy and freedom)
I know him so well
No one in your life is with you constantly
No one is completely on your side
And though I move my world to be with him
Still the gap between us is too wide ...
Friday night we went out for dinner to a little Italian restaurant down the road with Jane and David. We had a nice time with some yummy non-pizza food. We continue to be astonished at the pizzas that they sell over here - needless to say we didn't have one. Its a base with a bit of tomato and cheese - very popular I must say but for £7 it doesn't feel like much value to us when you can buy the same at a supermarket for 50 pence and add lots of your own toppings.  On Saturday, we headed off to Killerton - not far from Exeter - prepared for rather a long trip we were surprised to arrive in just over an hour - that is the UK motorways for you!! Killerton estate is huge - over 6000 acres.  Sir Richard Acland sold it cheaply to the National Trust in 1944 (includes 20 farms and 200 plus cottages).  He wanted money for his socialist party (he and JB Priestley worked together to set up the party). Richard's wife was horrified at his suggestion as so many farmers and families would lose their homes and livelihood.  She was rather fond of the place as while he was away fighting wars she managed the estate (although invalided with childhood polio) and was also a solo Mum. So, she convinced him to sell to the Trust so the farmers could continue to lease the land.  It is spring time over here (sorry to mention this as kiwis head into winter) and so we enjoyed the wander through the garden up the hill, through the wood (more mud - and how did we manage to get on the wrong side of the fence again?) up to the Iron Age Hill fort.  The fort is home to the Killerton Dragon - at least half of his time is spent here - the other half on the neighbouring hill across the valley (you can just see it in the distance - perhaps the mist was his hot firey breath).  The dragon flies between hills as he has a stash of treasure on both hills and needs to protect it which is why no-one has seen him in a while (he is always on the other side).  The rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias were just beginning to flower and the snowdrops and daffodils were out in all their splendour. Here in the garden was the shed which once did house a little bear bought back from overseas!!  Inside the large estate home was a display of fashion in the 1900's - all I can say is I am pleased I wasn't born into the gentry back then - would have found the whole dress up thing maddening and pointless. Six times a day most woman changed - morning dresses, afternoon dresses, evening gowns, suits, blouses and sporting clothes.  And corsets - yuck!! But the hats - I might have enjoyed. After that we took a quick trip along the road to Broadclyst a village forming part of the original estate and now the property of the Trust (or most of it). There is a medieval thatched cottage with some medieval wall paintings inside (which we didn't see cos it is only open in summer). Then we wandered past some more thatched cottages and inn and through the cemetery to the Clyston mill a water-powered corn mill which was also closed but it was a nice walk at the end of the day.

On the Sunday we decided to stay locally and went for a trip to Tyntesfield.  The house is in the throes of restoration and so we couldn't tour every room - but found it fascinating as it was purchased lock, stock and barrel by the National Trust and left just as the Gibbs family were out for the day.  The inventory stands at about 30,000 items and includes things like an unexploded WWII bomb (which we didn't see), a jewel-encrusted chalice, some huge marble fireplaces and heaps of old high backed chairs that have seen better days. Some fascinating wall carvings and wall paper (one room was hand painted cos when the paper was put up they decided it was too dark and so instead of stripping it and starting again the wall paper was hand painted in a lighter colour).  We liked the way the stables had been restored and made into the tearoom.

Oxfordshire

Recently we went to a very quiet corner of Oxfordshire. Well, it will be quiet in the future, if the government does not get its way and put the high speed train linking London and Birmingham through the countryside. Placards everywhere, lots of village meetings concerned about the disruption and the noise...it really isn't that long to travel between the cities on a 'slower' train - so many of us just can't see the point. We drove around a bit, visiting lots of little villages (eg Cuddington, Brill, Dinton, Little Marlow, Penn, Penn Street and Little Missenden) that have featured in tv programmes like Midsomer Murders and Agatha Christies Poirot and films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Who Killed Cockrobin. It was fun even in the rain and the cold, but we soon realised it was quite hard to find the 'right buildings' in the little villages because they have only been used sporadically in one programme and most of them we can't remember.  However, we did find the Roald Dahl Museum in Aylesbury where he lived for a number of years. We visited the museum as we didn't really know much about him except that he wrote 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. The museum was quite small and if we had wanted to paste pictures to create our own story book, or sit on the floor and listen to a story we could have spent a couple of hours there - needless to say we didn't - it really didn't have that much info in it for the inquisitive kiwi. Roald Dahl was born in 1916 in Wales and was a pilot and intelligence agent in WWII. In the 1940's he began to write and is now know as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century". Given we haven't read any of his books I can hardly judge if that is true or not. But I did like one quote from his book the Minpins "Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

Christchurch

It was Monday morning and we woke to find a text saying that Christchurch had had another earthquake and that it was bad.  Harry and I spent quite a lot of the day looking through the news on the internet and came to realise that one of our favourite cities and the lives of those who live there have been devastated. We are amongst many New Zealanders over here who feel so terribly sad for our fellow kiwis.  So, the week was spent scrolling through the videos, trying to find out how all our friends and old workmates are,  and wondering how we so far away, can support those living in Christchurch. One thing is for sure - we aren't alone in the way we feel.  When we went to Brill in the weekend we stopped at a pub to watch England vs France - the much awaited game of the top 2 teams in the 6 nations.  At the beginning was a one minute silence for those in Christchurch (it apparently happened in all 3 6 nation games that weekend).  The whole pub went silent - it was a very emotional time for the two kiwis sitting in the middle of the crowd.  The people over here have been very supportive and asking us if all the people we care about are o.k.  And at Westminister Cathedral a service was held for New Zealanders to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the earthquake. I only wished we knew it was on as we would have been there.  Apparently it was attended by over 5000 (mainly kiwis), with Richie McCaw speaking and Hayley Westenra singing and also a message from John Key. 'Not many dry eyes' I read.