On the brink of being ill for several days last week, but seem to have fought it off, though I’m not 100%. Main problem was an irritated upper respiratory tract, but also had an upset stomach and was feeling very tired. However…we made it to Hever Castle, Kent, home of the young Anne Boleyn and once owned, I’ve just discovered , by Sir John Fastalf, of Paston fame. It came to him through his wife, Millicent Scrope, and left him before he died.
Beautiful place, too. We had a large room with massive double bed, and the castle gardens were stunning in the late afternoon sun on Monday, when we arrived. In the evening we went to the King William VIII pub just outside the main entrance and had crayfish and steak pie (two separate items). Earlier we had the best Victoria sponge I can remember in the castle’s restaurant.
The journey down was straightforward until we got within about five miles of the Dartford crossing, when the traffic became very, very slow – often stationary. Fortunately we had plenty of time and arrived here less than half an hour after the earliest admission time. There is a billiard room and a luxurious lounge.
Yesterday was much chillier, but we made the most of the sun in the morning to walk round the lake after conquering the water maze! Felt pretty exhausted afterwards, for some reason, but Dot left me lying on the bed and went to the shop, after which we had a meal in the cafe. Dot;’s was apparently very nice, but my fish and chips was on the cool side.
Afterwards we went round the castle itself, which was quite impressive. From Anne Boleyn’s bedroom window we could see our bedroom window, but we didn’t lose our heads. In the evening we stayed in our room, ate sandwiches, read and watched a bit of TV. Not all at once.
After some more walking in the grounds this morning, involuting a visit to the regimental museum and the church where Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather was buried, we had a cup of tea in the cafe and departed north. A very easy journey this time, stopping at the M11 services for a drink and a bite to eat, plus a bit of petrol and pumping up the tyres.
Last Wednesday we went to June Wallace’s funeral at the Hungate (Methodist) Church in Beccles. Nice service, and good to see Ian and William again. Had quite a long chat with William, who is living in an unconverted barn in Sussex and has a pet jackdaw. He is still creating leather and copper art for very rich people, has problems with his kidneys but is very positive. Amazing bloke. Ian has two teenage children and is divorced. He is a self-employed lorry driver. His ex-wife was there but didn’t sit with him or with the children. We stayed for refreshments.
On Friday Dot was rehearsing with the orchestra; so I took Judy to the Octagon Chapel for an event called The Sound of Silents. It consisted of old films of Norwich accompanied by local bands: Mammal Hands and Birds of Hell (which is one bloke with guests). Interesting audience split: young people who came to hear the bands and couldn’t really appreciate the films on one side, and older people who lived the films but found the music intrusive on the other. I liked the music, but found it a bit loud at times. Glad I went, though.
Then there was the weekend with the Coomes, which went well but quite quickly. Contrary to the weather forecast, the Saturday was not pleasant and pretty wet, off and on. Dot and I went to Morrisons in the morning, and we had a light lunch when the Coomes arrived. Then at 5pm we had a meal at Prezzo, followed by the concert at St Cuthberts. The latter went very well: the best I’ve heard them. Judy was there again, as were Fred and Sue, plus of course Neville and Mary.
We took the Coomes to church on Sunday as usual. The vicar spoke about Edith Cavell: today was the 100th anniversary of her death. Afterwards we went to Prezzo again (!) and then walked along the riverside path, where we encountered Ian Bullock briefly. The weather had changed to sunny and very pleasant. The Coomes left at around 4.30pm, and Dot and I watched rugby world cup and then Formula 1, then more television. We were pretty flaked out.
So all out packing was left to Monday morning. But it worked pretty well really. My only worry was that I discovered a small leak in the bathroom before we left. I left towels on the floor and hoped it didn’t escalate. When we got back today the towels were soaked, but nothing worse. I rang up Anglian Water, with whom we have insurance, and as I write a plumber is trying to sort it out.