Imagine that...

Something I've been wanting to share for some months now is how James is developing. Both Merrilyn and I have noticed that James has been developing his imagination.

There are the obvious signs. Such as when we first wakes up in the morning and tells you his bed has been transformed into a car. He wants to show you its wheels and tells you of the places he's been. Or when he's in the playground and runs around turning imaginary knobs and wheels. Or perhaps making you a coffee (he's always been in to that!).

But of course there is another side to this development. To some degree he's also been developing some anxieties. For example, a few months ago the smoke alarm outside the kitchen sounded off whilst Merrilyn was cooking. It gave James quite a fright. There is also one outside his bedroom. So from time to time he won't pass underneath it unless one of us is with him. My approach has been to talk to him about what he's feeling and to reassure him that there is nothing to worry about. For example, with the detector, I show him the green light and tell him that that means that everything is OK and no alarm will sound.

Its amazing to see him develop. And all this means we, as his parents, enjoy a richer experience when we play with him.

A day in London

Even though we've been in England for almost four months the family has visited London only once before. So today we decided to make the trip - starting with - of course - a delicious cooked breakfast at Carluccio's. It's located next to the Windsor Central train station so was very convenient to catch the 9:50am train to Paddington.

James was looking forward to catching the train. In fact, it was the highlight of his day! With just change at Slough we were in London in only 40 minutes! Even faster than the weekday train I catch.

Rather than commuting via the tube we decided to travel by bus. Our travelcards allow any transport within central London. I'd printed a bus map before leaving this morning so, with a quick reference, we decided to catch the 23 bus to Trafalgar. They're a great way to jump from spot to spot. In the tube, as I've blogged before, you get no sense of the layout above.

Boarding the bus we went straight upstairs. These modern busses are very comfortable and afford a wide front view. We passed a lot of terrace homes and a vibrant weekend market at Portobello Road. After about 20 minutes Merrilyn looked at me and said something was wrong. It immediately hit me. We were headed in the opposite direction - out of central London. Of course, this is something I had to learn when I first traveled the tube. Know which direction you're heading in. By the time we realise this we were the last on the bus! So off we got, crossed the road, and picked up the bus heading back into Paddington. Fortunately they are on a frequent schedule and we ended up losing only about 40 minutes.

Arriving at Trafalgar Square we jumped off and explored. James loved the two giant fountains and of course the lion statues at the base of Nelson's Tower. He and Merrilyn pretended to be lions. James growled and showed me his claws.

From there we jumped on the tube and traveled to London Tower arriving at about 12pm. There we found a seat on the Thames overlooking the Tower Bridge. Merrilyn had researched last night and found that the bridge was due to draw up its base at 1pm. So we enjoyed some sandwiches and home made chocolate cookies - yum! At 1pm we saw two masted boats heading down river towards the bridge. Right on cue we heard a siren sound to stop the traffic; both vehicle and pedestrian. Shortly after we watched the bridge open. I said to James "Look - a boom gate bridge".

After lunch we just had to make a stop at Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Of course, we didn't need it but who can resist? I had a cookie dough and James - of course - a Chunky Monkey. Merrilyn was a shining example and abstained. Impressive.

From there we walked to St Pauls. Its was enjoyable to explore the streets and the weather, whilst overcast, was holding up. When we arrived we were disappointed to find that admission was 9 pounds per adult! We had toured the Cathedral previously so decided to skip it this time.

Continuing our walk we headed to the Thames and west to Westminster. Along the way we passed by Whitehall (lovely gardens) and Downing Street. It's no surprise to see the heavy police security behind the imposing iron gates.

I guess it was about 3pm when we arrived at Westminster. We wanted to tour the Abbey so had to accept the 10 pound entrance fee. However both Merrilyn and I were keen to visit. At this point James awoke. He had slept from St Pauls. So we sat on a seat in the Abbey and showed James the fan ceiling and stained glass windows until he was ready to walk. I find it fascinating to visit places such as this with both historical and cultural significance.

Wrapping up we walked back to Waterloo station and caught a 4pm train back to Windsor. Merrilyn and I are exhausted. But it was a fun adventure. As I write this James and Merrilyn are enjoying a story before he goes to sleep.

Photos - as always - are here.

Locks at Goring

This afternoon we took a trip out to Goring in Oxfordshire. A colleague lives out there and told us of how pretty the village is. Last night I used Google Earth to fly around the area. Its an amazing piece of software. I could even plan the car park I was going to use that would get to the path than runs along the Thames.

Goring is about 45 minutes drive from Windsor approximately due west. Getting there is easy; M4 to A4 then to the A340. Actually, Goring is on one side of the Thames and Streatley on the other. The bridge linking the two was built in 1837.

We arrived about 3pm and headed straight down to the Thames. Its a wonderful walk that takes you past some magnificent homes. Some are huge - with private boat sheds on the water. At the start the path is narrow and flanked by thickets and nettles (not too pleasant). It soon widens out with plenty of opportunities to wave to the pleasure boats cruising the river.

We all walked for about 30 minutes until we arrived at the first of the locks for the day (the other being back at Goring). James was fascinated in the lock operation - but truth be told was probably most interested in the doors at either end! We didn't have to wait long before two boats arrived and entered the lock. We watched the rear doors close and the lock flood. We happened to be standing next to a main holding on to his boat. He offered a tether to James (it was attached to a bollard!). He just loved it. He proudly "held" the boat until the flooding stopped. Then the front doors opened and the boats moved out.

As we made our way back down the Thames to Goring we crossed just in front of another lock. Just discussing some tea - we saw a tent on the grass beside the lock. It was a ladies group serving fresh cakes and tea. 50p for the tea and 1GBP for cake. What a bargain! We decided to take a little tour of the village first. Its a lovely place with flint and brick homes and churches. I don't know the age of the area but I'm sure some of the places looked circa 17th Century.

Making our way back to the river we enjoyed cake and two cups of tea. Of course, once done, we had to watch the lock in operation again. James loved it. He told me that he'd have to ask Papa and Granny to take him back to the locks again. Something I'm sure will happen!

See the photos here.

James' cousins come to visit

Today was one of those days that was better than you could have hoped for. It was forecast to rain all day but as it turned out was full of sunshine, warmth, and fun.

We started the day with a cooked breakfast at Carluccio's. I had a wonderful array of mushrooms, eggs, ciabatta, tomatoes, and some parma ham. Merrilyn and James enjoyed some toast, criossant, and fig jam. We enjoyed sitting outside and watching James favorite cranes at work. He was lucky enough to see a driver descend from the cab via the stacked ladders.

After this feast we saw Laura in the downstairs delicatessen and stocked up on pasta, smallgoods, pesto, and bread.

My cousin Andrew and his family Suzanne, Kayley, and Ryan came to visit from Luton and arrived about 3pm. They have been in-country for a over a month but this is the first opportunity we had to catch up. James was thrilled to have some more friends to play with. Whilst the kids set about playing we sat back and enjoyed a beer and a chat.

The kids played well together. I think Kayley and Ryan had fun with some new toys. And James and Kayley plotted to set the Giraffe into orbit. [This is James' stuffed toy that sits on a spring at the end of his bed]. I walked in to find James at the opposite side of the room clutching his giraffe with a spring that had seen better days. Oh well - they were having a lot of fun.

We all set of for a walk to enjoy the sunshine. Out to the Long Walk and up to the Castle gates. Immediately Kayley and James set of running. Kayley climbed the gates and James did not hesitate. Whilst he'd climbed up to the lowest bar before he somehow gained the courage to follow his cousin up to the second rung.

From there we all head up to the Castle Hill to see the boom gates and bollards. Today there was quite a tourist throng so we battled through and down to the Thames for some yummy ice creams.

The kids enjoyed seeing the swans. Walking down the Thames we came across some food pellets on the path. Andrew and Kayley scooped them up and fed them to the swans. James stuck his finger out and - well - you can guess the result. No need for surgery though!

We ambled back towards a favorite pub - the King & Castle. Its an ideal place to kick back in the sun, enjoy a few beer and let the kids run wild. There was another family there and the had fun running off and exploring.

At about 6pm we made a move to the Don Beni - a gem of an Italian restaurant. We enjoyed some very tasty pasta and pizza. By about 7pm the kids had had enough so we made our way back to home. Kayley found James' rubber "sea anemone ". Andrew made everyone laugh by blowing the thing up to ridiculous proportions and trying to put it on the kid's heads. A fun day. James is looking forward to seeing his cousins again.

See the photos here.

Cambridge

[Updated with photos]

After two previous plans we finally decided to visit Cambridge. Its a town I am fond of - having spent many weeks there on business. I find Cambridge more vibrant than its cousin (probably more accurately described as rival) Oxford.

We'd variously heard that the journey would take upwards of three hours. Google maps suggested two hours but we were relying on the M25 which can be very slow if there is any problem. What the heck - we decided to take a punt (sorry for the pun!)

Departing about 9:30am we headed east on the M4 to the M25; then north on the orbital until we hit the M11. From there its pretty well north until Cambridge. Based on our experience in Bath we decided to use the Park & Ride. The signage is execellent and we parked at Trumpington. The facility is wonderful with plenty of free parking and a bus service that makes the trip into town every 10 minutes. All up travel time was about 2 hours.

It rained on the way up but fortunately cleared as we boarded the bus. Regardless we came reasonably prepared; with coats and umbrellas.

We were dropped off at the Cambridge bus station and made our way towards the Tourist Information Centre. Despite have printed some maps I found I was completely disoriented. I think from time to time my southern hemisphere navigation kicks in and I swear everything is back to front. Fortunately Merrilyn was clued in and she lead the way. We passed through a market that we were to later learn has been at that spot in Cambridge for the past 700 years.

We booked ourselves in to a two hour walking tour due to leave at 1:30pm. With a little over an hour to kill, and with the weather still inclement, we headed to a Starbucks for coffee and sandwiches. We found a table and it was pleasant to not feel in a rush to do some sight seeing. One of the benefits of visiting such places when you're actually not on holiday.

After a feed I took Merrilyn to a few of the places I'd been when on business. Particularly a lovely open field called Parker's Piece and the Gonville Hotel opposite.

At 1:30pm we joined our walking tour that focused on a few of the historic colleges and a visit to Kings Chapel.

One of the first stops was the Eagle hotel. Apparently this is one of the oldest watering holes having been a medieval pub. It has a rich history, with some notable points in the recent past. One being a popular place for American pilots during the Second World War. And another as the establishment (actually the smoking bar) where on February 28th 1953 Francis Crick and James Watson first announced their discovery of how DNA carries genetic information.

The pub is located very near to the Cavendish Laboratory. We visit this famed physics lab where we learnt that it was founded in 1871 with the appointment of James Clerk Maxwell as the first Cavendish Professor. [Maxwell developed the relationship between electricity and magnetism that - arguably - was a major precursor to Einstein's E=mc2]. Its also been the home of 29 Nobel Prize winners and J.J. Thomson who discovered the electron.

Anyway - I found it interesting. From the Cavendish Lab we moved on to a number of churches and some interesting landmarks delineating the medieval boundary of the Cambridge. Towards the end of the tour we arrived at King's College. I've always wanted to visit the Chapel. This time I got my chance. It took over a century to construct with work occurring in the 15th century. It was interrupted by the War of the Roses and inside there are many references to the Tudors. Inside there is a wonderful vaulted ceiling and a oak screen that divide the space in two. This screen, which houses the organ, was a gift of Henry VIII and bears his initials together with those of Anne Boleyn. This dates the screen to between 1533 and 1536.

The magnificent stained glass windows combine scenes from both the old and new testaments. At the alter is the painting on oak of "the Adoration of the Magi" painted by Rubens in 1634. There are even traces of graffiti on the walls dating back to the English Civil Wars (circa 1650). These include a horse with large plumage and a knight.

After the walking tour concluded we made our way to the Cam river and watched the punts drift by. We finished off the day with a coffee and another bus ride back to the car. James was exhausted and slept all the way home.

Our Cambridge photos are here.

Terror alert in UK

Reading this you'd all be aware of the news that overnight arrests in and around London have apparently thwarted a plan to detonate improvised explosives on aircraft en-route from the UK to the USA. As a result the security alert level in both countries was raised to its highest level.

I heard of the news mid morning when at work. Heathrow had been effectively shut down with severe restrictions on hand luggage. Thinking back to the morning it would explain why there were no aircraft over Windsor.

As it happened we had walked from Waterloo station to work in Holborn so didn't get on the tube as usual. Along the way I did notice a number of police vans grouped together although its hard to say if this was related. There were no police presence in the station.

Understandably there was a bit of buzz around the workplace. But its fair to say that no-one was particularly worried. The news services were advising that there was the possibility of a back-up plan that may target the London tube and bus servcies (shadows of 7th July). I called Merrilyn to let her know everything was OK but that - as a precaution - I'd again walk to Waterloo and avoid the tube and buses. Of course, Walterloo is one of London's busiest stations...

Travelling home I couldn't discern any addtional security or concern. Although it was good to be home.

Day 4 - South Devon

Starting the day with another good breakfast with the family, and yes - Bobsy, we planned an explore around South Devon he headed for the seaside town of Salcombe.

After only a 45 minutes drive We approached Salcombe by driving down a steep cliff. The town itself is situated on the Kingsbury Estuary and seems to be a very popular sailing location. It was a glorious sunny morning and the views across the Estuary were stunning (another panorama here).

We squeezed the car through some narrow street and were lucky enough to find a good car park. Walking back to the water's edge we explored the many jetties. As a large marina there were lots of small boats used to ferry out to the yachts that seemed to be piled up against moorings. James particularly liked the red ones!

There was a real holiday feel about the place. People out and about. And a good selection of shops and restaurants - something that was lacking in most other places we'd visited to date. A children's clothes shop caught Merrilyn's eye so we split - with James and I heading back to the Estuary to watch the kids fishing. I'm not sure whether its an English thing but at a few places near the water we found that families were dangling newly purchased lines (you know the ones - basically plastic reels with black line, a sinker, and a hook) with a lump of meat/bread on the end. Mostly wishful thinking. Although the shops selling the kit were probably doing well. You could even buy the things at souvenir shops!

Merrilyn was soon back wanting James to try on a nautical top. Five minutes later he was out with new t-shirt in hand!

From Salcombe we headed north east to Torcoss. On the map it looked like a beach. In reality it was another pebble beach. Although the town itself was lovely. We all walked onto the pebbles and James, bucket in hand, set about scooping pebbles as if it were sand.

It was getting on to lunch time so we found a pub with outdoor tables right by the sea. Merrilyn and I ordered Ploughman's and James had some sausage. It was probably the best lunch I've had to date. For about £5.50 each we had an enormous plate of food; a hefty chunk of bread, cheese, tasty relish, ham, and salad. We tucked into it and enjoyed the sunshine. I can even recommend the local ale - Otter!

After lunch James and I walked into the waters of the English Channel. A little cold so we lasted only about 5 minutes.

Moving north we headed for Dartmouth. First stop on arrival was Dartmouth Castle. Its located at the strategic entrance to the Dart river. Its apparently the first purpose-built artillery fortress in Britain built in the 14th century. Over time there were a number of defensive additions, such as a range of cannon together with an iron chain that can be pulled from the river bed rising above the water to trap inbound boats. Once trapped, the cannon open fire.

James was absolutely taken by the cannon. He pretended to be a little cannon; loading himself with cannon balls and shouting "BOOM!". Leaving the castle I put him on my shoulders and he set about firing himself at unsuspecting people passing by. Very cute!

Finishing up about 3pm we decided to head for home via the vehicle ferry that crosses the Dart landing at Kingswear opposite Dartmouth. Its only about a 3 minute trip and James was disappointed we couldn't keep going. A tug is used alongside the ferry to get us from one side to the other.

The journey home took about 4 hours - there was heavy congestion approaching Slough on the M4. Not particularlyunusuall for a Sunday evening especially if the M25 has a few problems. James was so exhausted he slept the whole way home.

Day 3 - Cornwall

Our day started with a hearty English breakfast (James decided on criossant). Bobsy - the resident dog - joined us but was soon ushered out by Caroline.

It was an overcast day with forecast for steady rain throughout the day. The plan was to visit Cornwall and, if wet, to spend a little more time in the car to see some further afield places. We set of at 10am heading for Looe due west on the A38.

We had a good run and arrived in about 45 minutes. Rather than staying we decided to pass through and on to Polperro perhaps 15 minutes down the road. We're glad we did. Polperro is a village perched the steep slopes of a small harbour guarded by jagged headlands. Its got a history as a smugglers cove. The village streets are very narrow and there is no real vehicle access. So we parked about a 10 minute walk from the centre.

Polperro is an active fishing village and also seems a popular place for holiday retreat. As we walked out of the lee created by the protective sea wall I was hit by a refreshing blast of salty air. Its exactly what I was looking for. Being in Berkshire for the past three months its nice to be on the coast. We spent some time walking up the steep cliff paths to the headland where there is a great vantage to take in the view of the harbour and the village in the backdrop.

From Polperro we drove on to St Mawes - another seaside town in south Cornwall. We grabbed some lunch - which included a Cornish Pastie for me - and set ourselves up on a bench perched on the sea wall. It was starting to drizzle and the wind had freshened up. We debated whether to visit the castle, visit the fort at Falmouth or try for St Michaels Mount near Penzance. Merrilyn was keen to see St Michaels so after lunch we bundled back into the car and headed off.

We got stuck in some traffic and the rain well and truly set in. So after about an hour and a half we turned off to Marazion - the location of St Michael's Mount. As we approach we heard from the back seat - "Look a castle". James - this little bugger - had spotted it first. Mind you it was difficult to see. The rain and mist had descended and all that was visible was a shady silhouette.

Driving past the shore we found a car park and put a jumper (first for a while) and hat. It was a light drizzle but with a gusty wind the umbrellas we bought were not much use.

The castle is perched on a 350m high rock island rising from Mount's Bay. It accessible in low tide via a cobbled causeway. We were fortunate that it was low tide but it turned out that the castle is closed on a Saturday. Nonetheless we walked over (a weird experience walking on the sandy Bay floor with seaweed either side) and explored the small harbour and buildings at the base of the Mount. Merrilyn particularly enjoyed the experience. Its a place she always wanted to visit.

It was about 5pm so we headed for home looping back back via the A30 to Travistock and then back to the A38. We passed Travistock at 7:30pm and searched for a restaurant/cafe for dinner. Would you believe we couldn't find a thing open other than an Indian restaurant! And it turns out that there was a food festival on! We opted for the supermarket and grabbed some provisions eating dinner in the car by a park in the rain. A bit ordinary!

We arrived back home about 8:30 and James was soon in bed. He's holding up pretty well considering the long days and distance we're traveling. No paper for me tonight. Just a shower and bed!

Has the weather turned?

Just a little interjection in the holiday posting. Since arriving back this week the weather has been much cooler and more overcast. People have been saying that the English summer can end abruptly. Whilst its hard to judge based on a few days I get a feeling that the best days are behind us. The cooler breeze and mornings suggest that summer may be drawing to a close.

Day 2 - Dartmoor

We awoke Friday morning to the sound of Cockrells and made our way downstairs for breakfast. Pat made sure there were fresh farm eggs, cereal, toast, and farm grown raspberries with organic yoghurt. Yumm!

We had a good chat to several of the guests. Merrilyn stole a peek into the kitchen to find an enormous antique French table and bench seats. Very impressive. The owners apparently had to remodel the kitchen to fit it in!

We packed our kit and departed about 10am heading south for Dartmoor. We hit Exeter near the northern border of Dartmoor at about 11am and decided to grab some lunch at a supermarket. Following this quick stop we promptly got lost trying to find the A30. Circling back to Exeter we found that the there was an enormous tailback through the town. It took us about 45 minutes just to clear and there was a certain amount of tension in the car. You know what I mean ;)

That little hurdle over we entered Dartmoor from the north. Turns out that our road atlas has many sites marked that the tourist maps didn't.

So we followed a narrow and winding path to the Spinster's Rock. We knew this was a prehistoric monument but didn't know quite what to expect. We spotted the rocks in the middle of a field with three horses munching away on some grass. A sign on the gate to the field read

"Spinster's Rock. A Neolithic burial chamber erected around 3500 - 2500 B.C. The chamber probably contained many burials and would originally have been covered by a long earthern mound. The stones fell down in 1862 and were re-erected in the same year. Traditionally the monument was erected by three spinsters one morning before breakfast". Now you know!

Although near lunchtime we pushed on towards Postbridge. This road took us into the centre of Dartmoor. The landscape changed to rolling hills that are bare of trees but otherwise covered by a mixture of bracken, gorse, heath, and patches of pasture. Sheep and the occasional goat roam freely. In fact, you need to take care on the road as you'll find sheet walking (or even lying) along the road.

We pulled up at a parking bay and set up a picnic with a beautiful overlook of the highland. There's a panorama here. We enjoyed some sandwiches, pikelets, and some fruit. It turned out to be popular with a number of campervans pulling up with the same idea.

Moving on to Postbridge we came across the Clapper Bridge. This is essentially a bridge made from stacked stone piles with stones laid across the top. Interesting. But I have no idea of its age or context. It was getting hot again so James enjoyed splashing in the river.

Another visit to the Tourist Information Centre helped clarify some directions to some more prehistoric monuments.

We journeyed on past Two Bridges in search of the "Stone Rows and Circle". This is a bronze age site that I was keen to see. Following the directions to "stop at the car park bordered by trees on three sides" we saw a Tor in the distance. Thinking this to be the site we walked through a field of rocks, over a stream, and up the Tor.

Although the view was spectacular we realised this was not the site we were after. No bronze age ruins. Putting James on my shoulders again we returned to the car. It was about 5 so we were out of time to keep trying to find it. I guess a criticism of Dartmoor is that there are so many interesting sites but no signage whatsoever. It a matter of seeing a car park and wondering whats over the hill?

Our next stop was Grimspound which is one of the most complete Bronze Age village sites in England. Its a large site bounded by what appears to be a collapsed stone wall. Inside are many remains of circular stone huts and cairns mark the burial site of chieftains. I found this site very interesting and imagined life in this area all those years ago.

Continuing on we arrived at Widecombe in the Moor. Its a quaint little village with a spectacular church. We stopped for a brief visit (and other pound or so for parking!) and walked through the church and grounds.

Getting around 6:30pm we headed East for one last stop at Haytor. Merrilyn and James had had enough so I climbed up for a view across the moor and down the valley towards Bovey Tracey. (yes - another panomara here)

We made our way out and south along the A38 to Glazebrook Inn - our base for the next two nights. Arriving at about 7:30pm we were greeted by our hosts and one very happy dog - Bobsey. The old Victorian country house is surrounded by mature gardens. So whilst Merrilyn went upstairs to unpack Caroline showed us some secret parts of the garden so James and I could go exploring. Although hunting for rabbits we found some pine cones and some interesting trees that had their tops lopped off leaving only the trunk in the ground. This fascinated James and he would comment later as we would return back to the Inn that there we trees without their tops - "only sticks in the ground".

Our evening meal was at a pub in nearby Ivybridge. Heading back home after a long day James hit the sack and I hit the bath. Two nights in a row of reading the paper. I could get used to this!