I digress. I wrote this (Obviously) eons ago while back in England. For some reason back then the computer wouldn't let me 'copy & paste' from word. Now I've found that it works for some reason, perhaps because we sailed past the Notre Dame just as they lit it up last night.
It took me a while to write this, mainly because I've spent more time with a hammer in my hand in my life, rather than going to typing classes and having my Liverpool friends blow kisses at me. (Only girls learn to type) So I'm not about to waste it. Enjoy!
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We haven’t been in any WiFi areas since we left “The George” so, sorry if you been waiting with baited breath and whimpering with disappointment when you’ve opened up and we haven’t put anything new up.
Interesting drive yesterday. We set out for a drive with two goals in mind. Yes two! And on a sunny Sunday, and on Fathers Day. A day when all of Britain force their old dads into the family car along with granny, the missus, two kids the new baby, the baby push chair and of course, the family dog. Then get out onto the roads, with everyone else, hoping to come across a county pub a couple of hours away from home that serves the ubiquitous roast beef dinner, complete with 3 veg and Yorkshire pud.
Our first goal was to find a 12th century Norman Castle. How hard can that be in Engerland? You may ask. They’re bloody great stone edifices some with a moat around usually built on high commanding ground. Well not this one, this Norman Lord, Sir FitzChicken, obviously didn’t want to be found just in case somebody wanted to storm his castle and rescue Rapunzel. We wandered back roads in the area for quite a while before giving up and stopping in a tearoom….for coffee. We asked the lovely lady at the tearoom where this mysterious castle was, Of couse she knew where it was so she gave us instructions on how to find it so, off we went once more on our quest.
So let me tell you about driving English country roads. One nice thing is that they’re fairly quiet traffic wise but when you do meet people it can be interesting. For the most part the ’roads’ are winding with tall hedges, whose leaves seem to touch both side of the car. (Fun and quaint until you see a bus stop on the opposite side) Most times when you see a car come at you, the other driver obligingly, will flash his lights, meaning “you come on, and reverse into a miniscule gap in the hedges so that you can suck it up and squeeze by. After a while you try and beat them to it, you want to be the nice guy.
“Unless it’s a woman”
Usually driving a huge Merc. They will roar up at you and stop inches from your front bumper and impatiently glare at you and wait for ‘you’ to back into the hedge. Doesn’t matter that they have a driveway 3 feet behind then to ease into. Then they’ll imperiously sweep by without another look.
Except one woman! We’re driving about 20mph trying to use xray vision the see round the corners and this woman flashes at us at about 50 mph with absolutely no intention of slowing down at all, I still don’t know if she was even remotely aware of us at all. Wide staring eyes and sawing from side to side with the steering wheel as she came. ‘Luckily’ for us the road was wider here, perhaps room enough for a car and a half. I pulled as far as I could to the left she went to her left up the bank until she was at about 45 degrees, two wheels on the road, two in the hedge and zoom… she was gone. Just a small snowstorm of Hawthorn flower petals from the hedge and a settling cloud of dust to show that she was ever there. Must have been quite a sale at the local nail salon.
Sharon here --- now I’m not one to correct my sweet husband, as those of you who know me are aware (is that laughter I hear?) but my thoughts of English drivers is more charitable. The term “share the road” really has significance here, with good manners and a jaunty thank you wave of the hand accompanying a swift pullover (usually well into the bowels of a hedge). With the exception of a couple of ladies late for their hair appointments or generally having a bad day, I love-love-love the drivers in England. These country lanes are perfect for seeing such beautiful views!
Riiiight! Me, Ken, I’m an English driver!
We finally found the castle and it really was worth the drive. It’s a ruin of course after some nine hundred years, especially with those heating bills, but in such a beautiful setting and wonderful atmosphere that we just stayed, explored and relaxed for several hours. Nice that they have the tearoom as well and just outside the gate of course is the “Castle Pub!”
The second of the days events was to go and “see a castle” This one was slightly different and older though. This one dated from about several hundred years or so ‘before’ Christ, iron age. (I thought ‘iron age’ mean before perma press) It’s an earth ring or circle about half mile or more in diameter, up on at high spot on the downs. The ‘rings are two concentric circles of earth the smaller one on the outside as first line of defense then a deep ditch and another higher ring as the main defense. It doesn’t really looks much after the great Norman castles all around but if you think about how much earth they moved using oxen shoulder blades bones as shovels it’s actually pretty amazing. The walk around the ‘wall’ was enjoyable, views down the coast East and West of the fantastic white cliffs ,and inland of the green patchwork of the English countryside.
I chose 'A' roads to drive back on. By the time we were heading ‘home’ every one else had packed their ‘father’s’ grannies, wives, mothers, kids and dogs back in their mini's and gone. So I got to finally use all six of the gears on this car. I’ve never felt right driving behind people so I opened the taps a little and rolled by most of what was on the road. It took a while to get used to first gear on this thing, usually first is a low enough gear you can just smooth away before getting quickly into second but this one is higher and you have to give more gas to the horses and slip the clutch more to pull away. Had a couple of embarrassing stalls at first. In sixth you’re tootling along nicely, accompanied with words from Sharon of “Why are we going this fast?” “Just want to get the feel of her luv”
Women!
I said “passed most of the cars.” Every now and then though a Bentley Coupe, Aston Martin Vantage, Porche Carrera, Merc, Ferarri, Lambo, Jag, or some sort of exotic, would blow my doors off……
and then I’d act as if I was taking Dad home from the pub on Fathers Day.
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