It is now more than a month since we arrived in England, and our feet haven’t touched the ground! We’re savouring everything she has to offer, because in between visiting long lost friends and family, we have re-discovered favourite places, ancient monuments and beautiful towns and cities steeped in history.
Family first, the grandchildren have been our constant source of delight. After the initial reunion, our two little boys continue to amaze, amuse, and bring soppy tears to our eyes. They dragged us excitedly through their nursery and pre-prep school rooms on Open Day, sat with us for a picnic at the school on Grandparent’s Day, and never leave our sides when we’re visiting. The elder grandson, four-year-old Harry’s eyes widened as he told his almost three-year-old brother that we were having a ‘…double sleep-over…’ last week! Not only that, they were as good as gold for us as their parents took a well-deserved overnight break in London, with a concert thrown in!
We took off for almost a week, too, destination: Cornwall. First stop a rendezvous with our dearest friend Sue, from Noosa, also over visiting family. Then on to our little hamlet in Cornwall where we lived for ten years. It just happened to be their annual ‘Open Day’ – developed for charity since we left, the woodlands, lakes, gardens and walks all open for visitors for a donation to charity. This year the deserving organisation was The Motor Neuron Disease Foundation. Our wonderful ex-neighbour, Beth, who is in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease, and her husband and other ex-neighbours, working so hard for others. The sun shone brilliantly, the flowers bloomed, the birds came out to play and they raised over £4,500. The quick turnaround had us at lunch with friends in Fowey, and dinner in Looe with family, with a stopover in beautiful Bath for two nights, also catching up with long-lost friends.
Yes, we have been busy! And so just four days later we travelled to London’s Gatwick airport to catch a flight to Edinburgh. This time, we had been invited by one of Peter’s old colleagues from their Fleet Street days, to nostalge about how it was, what they got up to, stories that made them famous and how many of them are still around! For three days they never stopped talking. Golf was also on the itinerary, and I took the wheel of the buggy around the local course AFTER dinner, with the sun still blazing at nine pm. For it hardly got dark at night, so far north.
After that, we took off to castles and country house hotels where we had real porridge for breakfast (albeit skimmed with a thin float of fine Scotch – try it with cream and brown sugar and fresh raspberries!), followed by the best Haggis of the area. And then The Whisky Trail! Over the Cairngorm mountains where huge tracts of snow still hid, melting slowly, in the north facing crevices. This in June. At one time stark and barren, then valleys with forests, pastures, streams, greenest grass and hedgerows. And of course, the iconic Angus cattle.
We visited three distilleries for the conducted tours, and at Glenlivet, Peter even bottled and labelled his own 18-year-old (without a thought of how we’re going to get it home!) However, Balmoral, Glamis, Cawdor, all castles of great historical note, names to conjure with – the latter two woven into Shakespeare’s play. It was a very special five days. But back to Kent, and our departure for home loomed, and grandchildren waited. One in particular, for Max was having his third birthday! What a lot of life he and his four-year-old brother, Harry, have to live. And will the world still have roses and sunshine and porridge and haggis, and summers and winters and birds and bees?
But back to now, and this last week we will spend in England with a diary so busy it will be a miracle if we ever get on that plane! Canterbury today to see friends, family visiting overnight till Tuesday with sightseeing thrown in. Wednesday hair cut, pre-pack, send a suitcase back ahead, then drinks with new-found friendly neighbours. Thursday, London to the Royal Academy summer exhibition followed by lunch and a rendezvous with a publishing agent friend. Friday a lovely visitor from France, then on to the more-than-likely frantic last-minute sort, pack, re-pack, throw out etc etc prior to our last emotional visit to our grandchildren who cannot, as yet, comprehend distances, Australia, times zones and, probably, why they don’t see us more often. I will try very hard not to cry when we wave goodbye.
All going according to plan, we’ll tumble off the plane in Brisbane next week and stagger home to hibernate for a few days! We ARE both looking forward to coming home now. I’ve had my regular fix of England and all things ancient, of meadows and bluebells and stately homes. Of day-lit evenings and cricket on the village green, with cosy village pubs. And of London and art and theatre. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at progress and neatness and cleanliness, of organised on-time silent train travel, disciplined motorway traffic and courtesy. I’ve ogled wonderful things in shops, and been amazed at how the UK is so much ahead of Australia in so many ways.
But then, it may be that I’m wearing my rose-tinted spectacles – today IS midsummer’s day! 😍
