Summertime in UK

Arrived in sunny London (ok... overcast grey and dull but not raining (yet)). Not much jetlag - forget sleeping tablets, forget no jetlag pills, try Business Class - thanks Air NZ!

Brilliant taxi service from Fiona and Kelvin (sister and brother-in-law). Good to have a catch up that night .... few beers, few more wines, few ciders.

Hampton Court Palace - very interesting and well worth a visit. Especially great was the 2 for 1 on British Rail - meant only £13.50 for the both of us to visit. You can tour through Henry VIII's rooms, William III's private rooms, the Tudor Kitchens, the Queen's state rooms. Tried looking for the two ghosts that haunt Hampton Court - but must have been a day off for them. About 35 mins from Waterloo on train. Then another 20 mins to Liverpool St, then another 35 mins to Wickford. Travelling on the trains eats up a bit of time.

Thursday - Huge decisions. Simon was venturing to the British Museum, Fiona was heading to Lakeside Shopping Centre. Museum? Shopping? Museum? Shopping? Sarah chose shopping (more as moral support to her sister!). It was a close call - British Museum up there! Shopping was similar to the museum because Cliff Richard was at the centre signing books (an old relic).

Cleopatra at British Museum

Caught up later on for a drink at the Windmill Pub. Very busy and a popular local for workers and actors and patrons visiting the nearby Globe Theatre. Across the road is a highly recommended Restaurant - Tas Restaurant - offering supurb Turkish food.

Fiona and Sarah at Pub

Simon may have had a few more beers waiting for us at the Windmill. On our way home - he stopped to take a photo of us getting on the underground and hello - guess who was left behind on the platform. He had the last laugh though as our tube stopped at Westham and we had to get out in pouring rain and wait for Simon's one which carried us through the one more stop to Stratford.

Uneventful train ride through to Cornwall - four hours on train. Managed to grab free seats across a table. Boots lunch - meal deal only £3.79 for a sammie, drink and sweet. Huge amount of flooding north of Exeter. They've had rain all through their summer like we've had rain all through our winter. Temperatures are on par with Auckland.

Pub dinner at Veryan (the local town in Cornwall). Surprised entertainment - few cornish boys having a few pints and breaking into song (barbershop style). Simon chose not to sing (thank goodness). Simon had cottage pie for dinner (Marlene - step mother) quite disappointed. Sarah went for Moroccan Lamb tagine with couscous (Marlene not impressed with foreign food and where's the potatoes, then what's couscous).

Sunday - went for a drive to Tavistock to see the markets. An old stannery town. Dammit - markets closed sundays. Carried on to Dartmoor and just past the prison is Princetown. Had a Sunday roast lunch there with yorkshire puds, roast lamb, beef, pork, turkey and all the trimmings. offered ten veges - all for £7.95 each.
Carried on up Dartmoor to Widecombe on the Moor. Lots of wild ponies just wandering around. The moor was very barron and you could imagine how bleak it would be in the winter.

On the way home ... about an hour's drive away the old car (Mercedes 1978) broke down. Luckily Sarah went up to a close by house and by chance the owner's son worked in the local garage and got his boss and his lorry to tow the car and Sarah and Simon back home. We'd phoned Marlene's nephew who came to pick her up - had to get back to the animals (ponies, donkeys and sheep were all out and the four dogs needed walking). First time in a tow truck!

Popped into Truro today to update the blog. Weather back to grey and overcast.