Just two weekends to go before I head off to The Caspian Sea.This weekend begins with the monthy pub quiz at the Dover Harbour Board Social Club. We join in my father in law and his friends, and in truth we hold them together as Tony and John act like 45 years younger than they are, Johns wife grumbles the whole evening, and Jools, Jen and I really do all the question answering. It's more fun for us really, we came third once, but finished midfield out of about 20 teams.
There's always next month, or the one after that.
Saturday, Jools has a bead class, and i have a few chores to do. It's always a pleasant trip into Deal, and then wander around the small shops. I buy some organic veg for Sunday when friends are coming round for dinner.
The phone rings; do we want to go to wembley to see the England game as Matt and Dadi's friends have double booked?Can we get there in 5 hours?We can but try.We drive up the M20 to Orpington and catch a train into London; a dash on the Bakerloo line to Marelebone Station and then out to north west London to join the other 85,000 going to the game.
We had seats four rows from the back, but great views. It would have been fantastic but for the fartting drunken yob in front of us. Everytime he stood up he bottom-burped. And then there was the chant, 'If you hate Leeds come and have a go.' Well, the real tough nut behind growled that they were going to suffer cranial damage soon if they did not, in fact, shut the heck up.Which they did.And England won, 4-0.Yay.And then the journey back with thr 85,000 other fans back into London and on home.
Sunday morning we went out walking in waldershare Woods, which is nearby. We hoped to see the wild garlic in flower; but its a bit early. The fresh plants covered the ground inbetween the trees. The faint scent of garlic was in the air. All around was the sounds of spring, the light wonderful, all in all a great day.
Our friends who got us the tickets came for dinner; we made roast beef, fresh veggies, roast potatoes and a giant Yorkshire pudding. And a great bottle of wine, as I had managed to drop the one they brought on the floor, smashing it it, and coating the kitchen in red plonk.
Monday, the weather forecast was for wall to wall sunshine; so I walked to Folkestone again. It was a stunning day, the sky a deep blue with a few white clouds, making for great pictures. Accross the Channel, France was clear, and ferries criss-crossed between Dover and Calais. I took a few things to eat, and had them sitting on the edge of a cliff with a sheer drop of hundreds of feet.Eating on the edge.
I walked along the top of the cliffs into Folkestone, calling in at The Battle of Britain Memorial; they have just put up a wall with the names of all those who gave their lives during that summer of 1940.Jools picked me up at just gone four, there had been just enough time for a pint in The Lord Raglan. As we whizzed back north I could see the path along the edge of Shakespeare Cliff, and I said; I walked that.
Again.
Today, I set off early to go to a place called Winchelsea, to see the grave of a comedian and writer I loved; Spike Milligan. I searched for a while and found it. Written in gaelic was the line 'I told you I was ill' typical Spike. Spike wrote all of the radio show The Goons, and was the basis for most of Monty Python. Spike wrote many books, the best about his time in the Army during the war. Goodbye Soldier is my favourite, about his time in a concert party living the life of wine and roses in Italy as the war ended.
I drove out along the M20 and then up towards Tenderton; I had got my directions all wrong, and had to head south to get to Rye and the coast. This mistake lead to me taking a wonderful drive along wooded lanes to Appledore before turning off and out over the Romney Marsh beside the Royal Military Canal. The Canal was built during Napolionic times so boats of military good did not have to travel at sea. Anyway, one one side was the tree lined canal, and the other drainage ditches. It looked like southern France, and with the sun blazing down was all rather wonderful. There is a walk beside the canal, and if the weather holds we will be doing that at the weekend.
Winchelsea is a village, once a major port, now just situated on a hill overlooking the coast. A large church domiated the village, and al around are timber-framed houses and wattle and daub pubs. It is a fantastic setting.
On the way out I saw signs to the beach, and so a short drive through unappealing caravan parks brought me to a wide bay with steep banks of shingle, and away in the distance the menacing shapes of the power stations at Dungeness lurked.
Then I headed to Bodiam Castle; Bodiham is one of those images you think of when you think of a castle; all curtain walls reflected in a moat. The light was perfect, and I got the shots I wanted. I had an expensive snack in the cafe, and watched a coachload of schoolkids from Brighton arrive and then have packed lunch. Time to head back I think.
But all the while, time is slipping by.......
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