Getting Organised....

Been so busy the last 4 - 5  weeks. Picked up our motorhome and drove back to Oxford to park up at Spencers farm and start to get things in order for our trip to Europe.
Bruce and Nat have their motor home there as well also doing Europe preparation and we are counting down the days to crossing the Channel. Planning has been meticulous right down to our travel plan. We'll get off the ferry and turn right, shouldn't go too far wrong.
Sold our car but we have a scooter we bought to have on the back of the motor home for getting to explore European cities as it's not practical to park near the city centre.

Our son Tait arrived via Heathrow to spend 10 days surfing in Portugal with some London living mates so we met him at Heathrow, spent best part of the day with him then picked him up at Luton when he returned and we headed to the south coast in the motor home for some great catch up time before dropping him back at Heathrow for his return flight to PNG....

Meanwhile we had moved the narrow boat a couple of times as our mooring times expired.  We  left our motor home at the Willington marina and will transfer the last of our belongings to the motor home when we arrive. The distance of the delivery trip would normally take an easy 10 - 12 days but we put in some 10 hr solid moving days and did it in 7 days which included two nights in Birmingham..

Parked in Oxford...now got 130miles on clock...

Getting the feel... Certainly a lot less room than a 57FT narrow boat...

No automatic washing machine now... Ringing out the washing... Washing machine on ground at rear.. The tumble drier is a piece of rope in the wind..

Pub down London with Tait and his M8 Nick... A Real Ale pub..

Nick said the beer was good...

 

How come it took me 7 Hrs to drink a pint.... Bloody Aweful...

I'll choose the next stopover...

Back on the Lager .....  every ones happy..

Ex "Rossi" Lex Moto 125.... No back street alley to small...What did I say??..

Trying out the out door dining gear for Europe....

Off down South of UK with Tait...

First stop Sandbanks down by Bournmouth.... "Billionaires Alley", price of real estate reputedly some of the dearest, per sq, metre , in the world...

Friars Cliff... rows of beach huts awaiting the holiday mobs....Lower the verandah, throw open the doors...turn that chalky white body into a Lobster...

 

Then when the tides in swim between the groynes..... More beach huts.. single door, probably only 25,000 quid each...

Tait enjoying the view with the Isle Of Wight in the distance...

The Needles off the end of the Isle Of Wight...

Headed through the New Forest area but the weather was too wet to take decent photos although there was some nice villages....

Sign posts are handy when one doesn't believe the Sat, Nav......

The rain had stopped by the time we made it to Brighton...

A stroll to the end of the pier....




No strolling on the old pier...




Past the bandstand.....

And to the....

Royal Pavilion.. built from 1787, A  bit of the Ol' Curry Muncher styling...

For King George 1V as a beach residence...

Author Peter James lives in Brighton and the Pavilion features in his Roy Grace series of stories...

 

Back to move the NB Nth, to Willington for her new owners...

 

Left Cropredy on a Tuesday morning.. Temperature about 8c with a wind chill making it feel like 2c and heavy showers and strong winds on and off all day....

The NZ flag showing signs of a battering... 2yrs of weather and a couple of black berry bushes as well....

Came across Barry & Sandra, NB AreandAre,  who were heading to Crick. Stopped and had a Yakk....

Temperature raised slightly so Nat, & Bruce resumed their fitness regime along the tow path and raised things more...




Bruce says "I'll sit and watch"...

Heading up the Hatton Flight of locks...

Bruce says "I'll stand and watch"...

 

Two "Tow Path Babes"...

A Bit Sad.....The very last lock  after 2yrs of canal life.....

You can tell it has warmed up.....

As we turn into the marina at Willington, Derby...

A shake down trip in the motorhome to Cornwall was the next mission.
First stop on the way.....

Teignmouth...

The sun was shining....

Although not on their "idea" of a pier...

Came across a line up of...

Early model Motors.. They were being used in a feature film being shot here featuring Colin firth. Apparently about some local dude who entered in a around The World single handed yatch race but left "I'll prepared" so to save "Face" with the sponsors and well wishes took a short cut and made out he was were he wasn't. Rather than be found out and return he apparently "Committed Sideways" at sea never to be seen again although they found his yatch..

More Cornwall and Viva La France soon....

Cambridge UK..

Went on a mission over Cambridge way to check something out. I know your busting at the mystery and intrigue of what it was but I'm not telling......

Whilst there we strolled up and down some mid city streets and what an interesting place it is. A university town  being largely occupied by broken arse students means their is a zillion push bikers commuting to and from the bottle stores and the quietness of pedal power means if you don't keep a sharp eye out whilst crossing roads you are likely to wear one. Silent Killers. Still it all adds to the setting  along with he River Cam that flows through the town centre.

First building to catch the eye was the Fitzwilliam Museum. It was getting on in the day but there were still heaps of visitors coming and going. I wonder if the quoted numbers of visitors each year, 470,000, has anything to do with the Free entry.  Makes for a nice change to be able to view for free.

From the street....

The columns and verandah look impressive...
As in anything you need to start somewhere and the first stone was placed in 1837 with the opening in 1848...

The ceiling of the verandah......

Tops of the columns and door way arches are so detailed...

From one side.....

These two Dudes were very hospitable......

Clean lines....

With no hint of whats through the doors...

The entry hall......No wonder it wasn't completed until 1875......

 

Marble and stained glass was stunning....

The light poured through the very top....

About 5 stories to the top....

Now we've seen a lot of architecture in the UK but I reckon......

This is tops... Unbelievable craftsman ship and visual effect...

 

Moving onto other rooms.....

 

More ceilings with style....

Art gallery around the lower and  upper levels...

In this age of Slashers Flashers and Bashers it was surprising to be able to walk right up to....

Paintings by the likes of  Monet and Picasso....

There was a so called security guard down one end of the gallery but one would have to have awoken him to tell of any goings on in the last twelve hours...

And then soon as I seen them I knew....dammit...

A couple by Paul Cezanne... Apples, He  loved painting fruit and self  portraits....A dead set giveaway....
plus his name was right there too..

A painting  to capture the eye was.....

The Oak and The Reed, middle, by Achille - Etna Michallon....1796 - 1822.. sounds French because he was.. A lost talent I reckon dying aged 25 from Pneumonia...

Back out on the street and we checked out, free entry, a couple of the university grounds.

Different strokes for different folks but I never tire of viewing the old buildings, architecture and engineering feats such as canals and locks.... Its not about saying Why, but How....

In through the....

 Oldest gatehouse in Cambridge.. 14th century....

Pembroke College....

Home to 700 plus students...

Buildings surround.....

The manicured green....

 

And standing on the other side...

The first chapel designed by Sir Christopher Wren...

 

Nice lamp and leadlight windows....

A path lined by...

Shaped Yew trees and a stone wall with character  lead to...  dunno where...

The layout of buildings  lawns and courtyards are...

 

Reached through sculptured arches...

Moving on to...

Kings College..... Across the green a dinner for Lawyers was being held. Plenty of black capes and Real Leather shoes......

Time was getting on and we just missed being allowed to enter the grounds.....

Gate house entry...The college  was  founded in 1441 by Henry V1 and the chapel was  finished in 1554 under the rule of Henry V111

College Chapel...

 

Waiting for some summer greenery....

Along the road....

 

Another gate house sporting a clock tower with Sun dials on each face...

Out on the.....

River Cam the punters were taking  the punters for a ride....

What comes around goes around.....
One can put it All Right here....

The Holy Sepulchre Church.... 12th century job....

Nice place Cambridge......