Sunday, July 12, we left Newcastle to head down to the south of England. We first drove to Coventry. For any of you that are old, British sit-com fans, you will appreciate this. A show that we really enjoy is called 'Keeping up Appearances'. The main character is a loony lady named Hyacinth with her husband, Richard. They have a neighbour named Elizabeth and Hyacinth has a sister named Daisy that is married to a slouch named Onslow.
Hyacinth's house is on the outskirts of Coventry at 117 Heather Road in a little area known as Binley Woods. Her neighbours across the street, the ones she is always trying to impress, have torn down their old house and are building a completely new one.
Here is Daniel, Amy, and Joshua hiding in front of Hyacinth's house.
Hyacinth, in her attempts to keep up with the neighbours, changed her front door!
This is next door in front of Elizabeth's house.
We drove from Hyacinth's over to her favourite brother-in-law's, Onslow's house.
This is Onslow's street. We quickly saw why Hyacinth did not enjoy taking a trip to Daisy and Onslow's house... Dodgy area!!!
Can you believe Onslow has cleaned up his act!
One would not even recognise it for the transformation!
We left Coventry and drove a short way down to Warwick where we went to Warwick Castle.
- Warwick castle, sited on a cliff above the Avon, was founded by William the Conqueror in 1068 and has been the seat of the earls of Warwick from the 11th cent. It began as a motte and bailey castle, a stone castle from at least the 12th cent. The present castle owes much to the major rebuilding under the powerful Beauchamp earls, Thomas (d. 1369) and his son, also Thomas (d. 1401). The domestic range, above the river, was extensively remodelled as was the front towards the town, which was provided with an elaborate gatehouse and barbican and two wall towers, known as Guy's Tower and Caesar's Tower. The work, begun by the first Thomas, is dependent on French models, parallels work being carried out at Windsor by Edward III, and reflects closely the power and wealth of a man who was a hero of Crécy and Poitiersand a founder member of the Order of the Garter. The new towers demonstrate the integration of domestic accommodation and fortification, each being elaborately defended but having also several self-contained apartments for important members of the household.
First, we went to the play-ground where Daniel had fun on the swing.
Joshua had a blast on the tire swing as Daddy pushed him around.
We walked out from the play-ground onto the grounds in front of the castle.
There was much activity happening here!
The cook was preparing the evening meal.
An archer was demonstrating his keen skill.
Inside on the courtyard, Joshua found some tools interesting.
Outside the castle was an interesting ballista.
We saw some birds of prey, including the bald eagle.
We saw a demonstration of the trebuchet.
Here the arm is straight up which means it has not been set yet.
Here they are setting the trebuchet.
It is set by four people turning the large wheels that raises the counterweight which in turn, lowers the arm.
The arm is now lowered and set and the sling is loaded with a large stone covered in muslin.
The muslin is then set fire.
Wait for it.....
RELEASE!
It lands behind the tree in the middle.
A peacock came to see what all the commotion was about.
We went back to the courtyard where Joshua and Dave walked up to the towers.
Here they are at the top, waving at us.
This was hanging from the ceiling in the Gaol.
Dave poses by a powerful knight.
Here is the bird's-eye view of Warwick Castle.
We left Warwick and stayed at a Days' Inn on the M40.
Daniel had a good time with his 'friend' in the mirror.
Monday, July 13, we left Days' Inn pretty early to travel down to Bournemouth on the south coast of England. We passed the River Thames where Mole took a boat trip with Ratty in "Wind in the Willows". We also passed through Oxford, the home and burial place of C.S. Lewis.
As we drove into Bournemouth, we had to stop at an ASDA to get Joshua a white shirt and black socks for the wedding. After that we headed down to the beach to find the Marsham Court Hotel, where the wedding and reception were to take place.
When we arrived, Liz came down to the car-park and took us up to Sally's room, where Amy helped steam the dress and Daniel and Joshua played with Katie and Dave changed clothes in the loo with Dad.
Soon Amy was dressed and walking around taking pics.
Sally's colors were black and white... my personal favourite.
The children walked sweetly down the aisle.
"I do"
Joshua prepares his bubble wand.
Happy, happy, joy, joy.
Dave readjusts Dad's pen flower.
Joshua studies the bride's dress.
Katie looks like a proper little girl!
Ryan and Sally with their futuristic five children.
The brothers grab a quick cuddle time before the reception begins.
Two very good looking guys!
The reception is lovely.
Yummy food!
At our table was a lovely couple, Gary and Karen Brent, and their two children. They are from Zimbabwe and now live in England in a town named Rugby, the place where the game of rugby began.
After we ate, Amy had to take Daniel to the car and get him settled down a bit. By this time it was already after 5pm and he had not had a nap the whole day. Amy, in her efforts to console Daniel, accidently locked the keys in the boot (trunk) of the car. Luckily, the doors were unlocked and the seats fold down in the back seat so Dave was able to unlock the boot that way and reach the keys that were tucked neatly in a crevasse.
Amy couldn't resist the photo opp. It's not everyday one sees a David Handyside sticking out of a car trunk! He looks like he's been shot or something!!!
After that we went straight to Heathlands Hotel where we stayed the night. Once we got completely settled, Dave and Joshua went for a walk to the store to buy milk; and some goodies as a surprise for Mommy (Chocolates, coke, scones with jam and cream... yum!). When they returned, they presented their gifts along with a card Joshua had made all by himself and then we all partook of the delicacies.
Dave and Joshua returned to the reception, that was still going on, where Joshua boogied down with his Gogs until late in the night.
Tuesday, July 14, we woke to go down stairs and have a full English breakfast... bacon, sausages, eggs, fried tomatoes, croissants, fruit, yoghurt, oats porridge....
After filling our bellies and checking out we went down to the beach. Joshua was crazy excited!
He couldn't wait to get into the English Channel.
Dipsy had a great time playing in the sand.
SUCH BLISS!!!!
The water was freezing, but it didn't take away from the beauty or Joshua's enjoyment!
Daddy chasing Turny.
We walked down to the pier and then back up to where our car was parked. Dad and Liz met us there and we all said a quick good-bye before we headed up to Stonehenge.
On the way we passed through Salisbury, the Bermuda Triangle of GPS. We passed by a church that had a sign posted stating, "Worshipers needed: no experience necessary". We liked that sign. This pic is not of that church, but of the Salisbury Cathedral in the centre of the medieval town.
Soon we found our way to Stonehenge.
Joshua concentrated on the audio tour.
It was a little surprising how wide-spread the rocks were.
Stonehenge also means "hanging stone" which we found interesting because Handyside originates from "Hanging Side".... hmmmm.... interesting.... maybe even a little political.
Soon after this pic was taken Joshua shouted out, "Mom, your back is all wet!". Sure enough, it was wet.... Daniel had piddled all down Amy's back so we had to quickly make a mad dash to the car to get changed. Then, we were off to Dave and Sarah's house again in Copthorne, near Crawley, which is just near London Gatwick Airport, south of London. One can visit the Copthorne Prep School web site to get a looksie at the school and what it is all about at www.copthorneprep.co.uk
Once we got there, Dave messaged them, "We awaiteth your assistance to enter", after which Dave J. replied, "We cometh". Then we just chilled out with Dave, Sarah, and Daniel, made pizzas, and chilled some more.
That night as Amy was putting Joshua to bed, he asked about the room in which we were staying, "Mom, what is this place where we are sleeping?". "It is a boarding school dorm", his Mommy replies, "That is where the children that are attending this school live when they cannot live at their own home". Of course, Joshua being his inquisitive self this led to a full blown discussion of why children would not be able to live in their own home and the exact workings of a boarding school. "I am sad", said Joshua. "Why are you sad?", his Mommy asked. "I am sad for the children who have to stay here and don't get to stay with their Mommies and Daddies", Joshua expressed feelingly. So, we prayed for the children that have to live in a boarding school; we prayed that they will feel very loved and that God will take away their sadness from missing their Mommies and Daddies.
Wednesday, July 15, as the Daniels slept, the Daves, Sarah, Amy, and Joshua chatted. Then after lunch we went into East Grinstead to see if the Martell's store had a 'Settlers of Catan' that we could purchase. We had no luck finding the game, but the boys had a blast playing with the playmobil toys.
We left there and headed to Ashdown Forest to walk to a windmill, but when we arrived it was beginning to rain so we went on to Uckfield to a South African shop to purchase some boerevors for the braai we would be having on Saturday. Then on the way back we stopped at the windmill as the rain had subsided.
We walked down the valley.
Daniel J wanted to join in the walking.
Mummy was not ABOUT to allow him to cross the stream by himself!
When we got to the stream we turned around and went back up to the car park since we had a couple of squawking lads we thought ice cream was in order.
Everyone loved their ice cream.
Daniel was happy with a rusk we had purchased at the South African shop.
Thursday, July 16, we lounged around all day with the Jenks while watching the British Open. We took the kids to play on the playground for awhile and then were back to the flat to lounge some more. Then we took the kids to play some more while Amy took Daniel for a walk trying to get him to sleep, to no avail. After that we all went for a swim in the school pool and then went up and played charades while waiting for supper to cook.
Friday, July 17, while Dave and Sarah were spending some time with Sarah's folks before they flew back to Zim, Dave H, Amy, Joshua, and Daniel drove down through the Kent District to the white chalk cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle.
One of the largest castles in the country, strategically located at the shortest crossing point to continental Europe, Dover Castle has played a prominent part in national history. Its origins lie in the Iron Age, and a Roman Lighthouse and Anglo-Saxon church can still be seen within the grounds. William of Normandy strengthened existing Anglo-Saxon fortifications here in 1066, but it was Henry II who set the blueprint for today's castle when he had the fortifications rebuilt in the 1180's, adding the massive keep and a series of concentric defences. Over the centuries, the defences were continually enlarged and improved, with the castle retaining a military role into the mid twentieth century. An underground hospital and the command centre used for the Dunkirk evacuation are a legacy from the Second World War.
It was a windy day with 35mph winds coming off the sea.
We toured through the medieval underground tunnels.
They were quite extensive.
We toured through the war-time tunnels. As we came out from them we were getting cold from the wind so Dave put on his coat even though he had Daniel on his back. Dave's coat covered Daniel which Daniel found, at first, very funny, but after a time he was ready to look around; we kept seeing a little hand poking out of Dave's collar as if to say, "I'm still in here, guys!".
Dave, Joshua, and Daniel posed in front of the entrance to the war-time tunnels.
Mommy and Joshua pose in roughly the same place,
just a different view to show the sea on the right.
Daddy and Joshua turn around for a quick pic before loading into the car.
We left the castle and headed down to the beach. We passed a lot of huge ships on the way. We came to a place where we would be able to walk down to the beach, but because the wind was so strong the paths were all closed, stopping us from going down to the water. Joshua was a little upset as he had been looking forward to going the the beach at Dover and seeing the white, chalk cliffs so Dave took him as close to the cliffs as he could.Here is Joshua "climbing" the cliffs.
We drove into the tunnel that was dug through the cliffs.
After we left Dover, Dave and Amy were wanting to pop over to France and have supper there, but they decided it wouldn't be as fun for Joshua to 'dine in Calais' as it would have been for them. So instead of France, we went to Port Lympne Wild Animal Park.
We saw lions...
and tigers.....
and a Pooh Bear.
This horrible pic is of a mother with a 4 week old baby monkey on her tummy (so sweet)!
This is a Red Panda which we reckoned looked very much like a racoon.
We ran into a very cheeky ostrich.
They had lots of African animals, including the Black Rhino.
Dave had dreams of Africa.
We went from Port Lympne to try and get a glimpse of Leeds Castle. (It was after 5 and therefore closed). Unfortunately, the landscape was not in such a way that one could see the castle without getting in the gate. So we settled, instead, for sambos at a local pub, The Ten Bells.
Daniel insisted on being walked around the horseshoe shaped pub over and over again.
and again.
After our tummies were full, we were eager to get back to the Jenkins and sit with them with tea and nice fellowship.Saturday, July 18, was spent lounging around, watching more of the British Open, swimming, and lounging some more. The Daniels played and played.
That evening, Sarah hosted for us a braai with some friends from Zim.
Here we are with our friend from Gweru, Yvonne (Steyn) Turner,
with her British husband, Dean.
Here we are with Bradley Deysel. He is a cousin... which doesn't actually mean that he is Dave's cousin... I think there is a relation, but being a 'cousin' is more of a status.
We were so thankful to Sarah for having our friends over (they are Dave and Sarah's friends as well). We really had a fantastic time reliving past escapades.Sunday, July 19, we all went to Dave and Sarah's church, New Life, in East Grinstead. We had a great time worshipping with that fellowship. Daniel had a great time in the crèche pushing around a baby-doll in her pram (stroller). After church we had a quick lunch of sandwiches and then napped, swam, had supper and chatted like crazy.
Monday, July 20, Dave J was fortunate enough to attend the Lord's Cricket match. While he was away, we got ready to head out somewhere. We thought we would allow Joshua to decide between either going to Hever Castle, where they had jousting and other fun things like that, or going back to the Hundred Acre Wood and finding some more Winnie-the-Pooh sites.
Joshua declared loudly,"Well, that is no decision at all because 1. you know I love Winnie-the-Pooh and 2. I am all castled out!". So off we went to Hartfield and Ashdown Forest.
This time we were able to go into Pooh Corner where Joshua purchased "Now We Are Six" and a bookmark. We thought we were going to have to buy a 'My First Piglet' doll because Daniel grabbed hold of it and would not let it go for the longest time!
Here we are in Galleon's Lap searching for all our favourite Winnie-the-Pooh sites.
We think we found the 'Heffelump Trap'.
Dave, Sarah and Daniel J met up with us at this point, which made Joshua excited!
Joshua was the first to find the 'Enchanted Place'.
This is the view one will see while standing in the 'Enchanted Place', minus the Daniel.
A funny little man and his dog came to visit the 'Enchanted Place' while we were there.
Daniel H. was "enchanted" by the dog.
Joshua thinks this would be the best place to come and read if he lived near the 100 acre wood.
He likes to read. He also likes Pooh.
We found Rabbit's Sandypit.
We left the 100 acre wood and headed back to Dave and Sarah's for a super-fast meat pie supper before heading to Yateley, a small town to the west of London. Yateley is the town where our good friend, Ross Grey lives with his wife Hillary and their baby son, Jude.
Ross is also a Zimbo. We left his place late and got back to Copthorne even later.Tuesday, July 21, we had to say good-bye to the Jenkins and travelled up to Newcastle. We broke up the trip by stopping in Rotherham at the Magna Science Adventure Centre. It was an amazing place with interactive exhibits based on the four elements: earth, water, fire, and air. We had two good hours there before closing time and then we went the rest of the way back to Newcastle. The Angel of the North is always a welcome site after a long journey away from Newcastle.
That evening we unpacked and then blobbed out for the rest of the time. Right before bed Dave took his bilharzia medicine that Doc Jenkins had brought him from Zimbabwe. It is nasty stuff and has to be taken all in one go so it's best to take it at bed time.Wednesday, July 22, Dave spent the whole of the day recovering from his 'killing of the worms' while Amy blogged, Daniel slept, and Joshua chatted Gog's ear off about not knowing the password to his computer.
