Contrasts

Its been a while since my last post. As we are now back in the bosom of family its been full on. Pace of life has picked up since we took the boat home. We docked safely in Holyhead to rain, rain and more rain.

We spent the night in a ‘permitted’ service station car park and woke up to some awful driving conditions. Bobs back was still bad and I had planned on driving since the journey was mostly motorway but Bob decided it wasn’t a good idea for me to drive the Motorhome for the first time with horizontal wind and rain and lorries steaming past us spraying up water making it almost impossible to see the road.

It was a pretty horrendous trip down the M6 motorway and took me right back to the journeys we used to do regularly when we lived in Aberdeen and drove the 500 miles with 3 kids in the car to see my family.

The weather didn’t clear up until 3.5 hours later when we reached Gloucestershire not far from our first stop, Tewkesbury Abbey Campsite. A very clean CAMC site with full facilities right in the middle of the town. It was so nice to be able to walk into the town that night and have a pub meal inside with George! Dogs are even allowed inside the Abbey!!

Tewkesbury is a medieval town set on the river Avon, known for angling and boating but may also be familiar to some when it was in the news for terrible floods in 2007 and also more recently in Feb this year, you could still see some of the damage caused. Luckily the weather was superb for the 24 hours we were there.

During our stay we visited the Norman Abbey that dates back to 1121. Its a stunning Abbey dominating the land and skyline with the largest Norman Romanesque tower in existence. A beautiful building on the inside and out with some of the best examples of Stained glass windows. The surrounding grounds are a peaceful haven featuring some magnificent trees that look pretty ancient but resplendent in their Autumnal colours.

The following day we had another long journey as we embarked on the first family visit. My sister Susie and her husband Ken live in Milverton, Somerset and we took the opportunity to pop down there for a couple of days and rest poor Bobs back. It was great to get out of the van into a house for a couple of days to stretch Bobs back and Susie spoiled us with her kind hospitality. Although poor George was bullied by her cats Spick and Span and we had to keep them apart!

Whilst we were there, George and I did some lovely walks in the area, the countryside is typical English rolling hills, narrow country lanes and quaint villages with friendly local shops selling yummy fresh bread. Somerset is full of foody country pubs with amazing chefs using local produce. We went to one of these on a Friday night and I was shocked that we and one other table were the only ones booked in – is this a sign of times and the impending recession?

Next stop was Brockenhurst in Hampshire, another long drive – I think we have driven over 400 miles in the last 5 days! We came here to meet up with some friends who were in the area, but also to have our first reunion with Bear and Nely our grandchildren – such excitement!!

The campsite at Longmeadow near Brockenhurst is set in the heart of the New Forest. Another lovely site with great facilities and walks straight from the site into the New Forest and a short flat walk into the village. This time of year is rutting season so at night we could hear the deer who strayed into the campsite.

It was very special to see the children again (along with their parents) – and luckily they were as happy to see us too. Since then I have spent most days visiting them and even spent our first week staying at their house. Rio, Hamish and the children are about to embark on their own adventure for 9 months traveling across Europe to Scandinavia – spending Christmas in Lapland – then through the Balkans, Italy, Switzerland and France. So we’ve been busy helping them prepare.

Being back in Dorset is strange when you have no house……everything is familiar but you have no base or routine. You feel you should slot back into your old life but it is no longer yours; someone else’s home; someone else’s job.

So for now we are content staying with my parents and hoping to catch up with friends in the area. I must admit my morning walks in Bournemouth Gardens and Sandbanks beach has been a treat – blue skies, white sand and the red, orange and golden colours of the trees. Dorset is stunning at this time of year.

Our next big trip is not until 1 December where we head off to Europe for 90 days for some winter sun. In the meantime we are spending time with family and friends in Dorset, Devon and Wiltshire.