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| Brian in Gloucester Cathedral |
Things are suddenly starting to get close, we plan to depart the UK a week on Tuesday (2nd October) and there is a dawning realisation of how much we need to get organised between now and then, as well as a lot of socialising to see friends and family before disappearing for some months (Brian plans until mid July next year, Jackie thinks May/June time, we'll see who gets their way!).
We left our last housesit in Stroud on Thursday evening after finally meeting Rachel and her mum, Sarah, on their return home from the South of France. They had a great time by the sound of it and, in the two hours we saw them we talked non stop, but Bramble cat wasn't too bothered, she stayed upstairs on the landing.
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| The beautiful Gloucester Cathedral |
On our last full day there we spent a good chunk of the day in Gloucester which is a really good place to visit. It's an old Roman town and, although little of it can be seen above ground the remains of a whole Roman city is just below the surface. Any time a building is demolished a team of archaeologists move in to sift through and catalogue the remains below ground. The underground site displaying Roman and Tudor building remains was sadly not open on the day we went, but we did visit the very impressive Gloucester Catherdral (
http://gloucestercathedral.org.uk/) and the Heritage Centre steeple standing on the corner of Southgate and Westgate Streets.
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| The Heritage Centre steeple |
It used to be a church but all but the steeple was demolished in the 1950's. The steeple still has its bell and, on visiting, the lady told us all about it and then said I could ring the bell if I wanted. Well, I thought it would be rude not to, so I gave several tugs on the rope and disrupted the quiet town centre!
We also visited the Beatrix Potter museum (http://www.tailor-of-gloucester.org.uk/about/), mostly devoted to the 'Taylor of Gloucester' based on the local story of a taylor who went home on a Friday night leaving a whole pile of work undone, only to go back on Monday to find the whole suit finished except for one button hole on the waistcoat to which was pinned a small note saying "No more twist" no one knew how this had happened, so Beatrix based the whole story on the mice who went in and did the work.
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| The white building on the right is 23 Westgate Street and where the taylor shop mentioned by Beatrix Potter originally was |
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| In the Beatrix Potter museum |
Much later it came to light that the taylor's assistant had gone to a local event on Friday night, got hideously drunk and decided to sleep it off in the taylor's shop, which, unbeknown to the taylor, he had a key for. Too embarrassed to be seen leaving the shop on Saturday he thought he may as well finish the suit, except for the final button hole, before sneaking out on the Saturday night. Still a nice story, but not as good as the one created by Beatrix.
Since getting back we've had three nights staying with Jackie's mum in Alvechurch, during which we managed to get in a proper 'Friday night' - down to the local pub early evening for a bottle or two of red wine and a good chat, followed by a takeaway from the village Chinese - fabulous and just like the old days! On Saturday we managed to catch up with Brian's daughter Fiona and her man James, plus grand-daughter Becky, who all came over for lunch at Becketts Farm restaurant in Wythal (
https://www.beckettsfarm.co.uk/restaurant/), followed by a trip over to the motorhome storage area to show them Big Ted (we think they liked him!).
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| Little Sooty cat is pleased to see us |
Today (Sunday) we have arrived in Hall Green to spend three days looking after little Sooty cat, this now being the twelfth time we have housesat here. Abi has taken her mum away to Chester for her birthday so we have a few days to catch up with some friends, get a few jobs done and spend time with little, sweet Sooty.
Our diary until our intended departure on 2nd October runs like this:
Tonight: Sunday Tea Club with Manu, Crystal, Ian and Helen in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham. After meeting at a pub in the centre for a beer, we will visit a small Chinese restaurant where Crystal takes charge and orders everything, presenting us with delicious Chinese food which we eat with Chinese tea and, in the process, have a fabulous evening
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| The very grand house at the Nature in Art museum |
Monday: Big Ted visits the doctor to have his door seen to. The door lock won't open with the key, only the remote, so that's being seen to. Then we visit the physiotherapist to have Jackie's elbow looked at (tennis elbow we think after lots of decorating and roof building), then to Birmingham City Centre (again) to purchase some International Driving Permits (this is just insurance in case Britain leaves Europe on 29th March next year with no deal and our British driving licenses are no longer recognised by Europe).
Tuesday: Pack Big Ted for his night away in Norfolk.
Wednesday: Head off in Big Ted with Jackie's mum to visit Ron and Margaret in Bury St Edmunds, followed by a night away in a small campsite
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| Gloucester Cathedral cloisters (used in Harry Potter films) |
Thursday: Visit Attleborough in Norfolk to pick up a spare wheel for Big Ted that we've bought through the website Gumtree. It's second hand, but was always a spare and has never been used
Friday: Start sorting out all the gear we are going to need for a winter of skiing in the Alps and summer sightseeing, climbing, walking amd via ferrata in Europe. Evening, catch up with Corinne and maybe Helen and Ian to hear about her trip to Iceland
Saturday: More gear sorting and start of Big Ted packing. Evening looks like being the Solihull Mountaineering Club Annual Dinner, if we can get tickets (we may be too late!), but we have got permission from the venue to camp overnight in their car park in Big Ted so, if we do go, it'll be an easy few meters to walk from the venue to our bed!
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| Tomb of Edward II in the cathedral |
Sunday & Monday: Back to Jackie's mums for the final pack of Big Ted, shopping for food to take with us and dropping our car off at the storage area.
Tuesday: Drive to Dover for 9 months touring Europe!
The next blog may be hastily written in between all that.
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| Jackie hiding behind a whale tail sculpture at the Nature in Art museum |
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| I really liked this sculpture, all made from parts of a car. It stands on an old engine block, its claws are old brake shoes, it's body has a clutch plate in it and there are various springs, pistons and engine plates. Junk to anyone else, art here |
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| A last picture of fluffy Bramble cat in Slough before we left... |
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| And a picture of sweet Sooty cat who we're looking after now |
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