EUROPE ON A SHOESTRING

The photographs below show what can be achieved if you ask Laura Briggs to organise economic holidays in Europe. Laura, Chris, and Libby Briggs are shown with Kerry in our backpackers in a little town called Positano outside of Naples.

FASHIONS ON THE RIVIERA

MONTECARLO OR BUST – FRANCE’S RIVAL TO WHITBY

Monday 24th September

We travelled from Cognac via Bordeaux and Toulouse to Carcassonne, the medieval walled city which out-rivals the Cheddar Gorge for money spending places.

Then on Tuesday 25th September we headed for the French Riviera and the Mediterranean. Ah! the memories of a misspent youth, idling the summers away in Cannes and Nice. We had almost forgotten the endless parties and the night one of us nearly fell overboard into the harbour at Monaco. Nothing had changed, though no-one remembered us. We took the familiar route to Menton, through Monte Carlo and Monaco and booked into our usual hotel. A pleasant 24 degrees evening temperature, was sufficient for a walk along the beach and dinner at our favourite restaurant. And who was that setting the fashion in Cannes?

Driving through France has been relatively easy although we have had our moments. The road signs are very good although occasionally we turn a gauche instead of a droite. Let’s hope our new found driving skills work in Italy.

Wednesday 26th September. They certainly needed to.

Kerry was the appointed driver for our coastal trip to La Spezia in Italy. Four hours of viaducts and tunnels, unbelievable engineering, and astonishing coastal buildings greeted us at every turn. If the road signs did not change, we could quite easily believe we were driving around in a circle for four hours.

The shops in Italy close for siesta between 12.30 and 3.30, so after a short siesta of our own, we went for an Italian evening stroll, minus credit card!

On Thursday 27th September we walked the famous Cinque Terre trail from West to East. A great experience and quite hard work. Starting from Monterosso we had a marinara lunch in Vernazza, coffee and cakes in Corniglia. We caught the train to Manarola, because the path was closed, then an easy stroll along the promenade to Riomaggiore. ( Val and David see photo of Colin missing our little Cheshire walking mate)

Friday 28th September.

Back into the Mazdarrati, we headed south down Italian route A1 as far as we could in five hours. We made it to Cassino just North of Naples. All you historians will know about the famous WW2 battle in Cassino. I knew a little because my Uncle was wounded there and was sent home to recuperate after 4 years away in the war. We re-lived some of the horror at a very graphic exhibition at a recently opened historical centre. To balance the history, Kerry felt a great need to put something back into the community, and bought a pair of genuine Italian leather outdoor shoes. The Italian economy should now survive. Tomorrow we drive to meet Chris, Laura, Libby and Daniel in Positano.

COGNAC - A MONOPOLY TO VIE FOR

Relaxing in warm Cognac surrounded by hectares of vines.

Cognac produces over 100 million bottles of Cognac per year of which 90% is for export. A tidy little earner. It is about time Euroa or Yackandandah had a go. Would you like a Yack&&ah and dry? or a Euroa on ice?

The pictures below show a very ancient city as well as some very modern people. Well it's all relative.

And so is our friend Nicky (see photos) who is Joelle's cousin and lives in Cognac.

City Centre (Centre Ville) with young chick (Poulet)

Smiling Visitor

The Chique in Cognac

A MESSARGE FROM FRESNE CAUVERVILLE

FROM WHERE? You may well ask.

It is not on any touring road map. Nor is the next sized villarge, Cauverville, nor the next sized one, Lievrey. It does however, pop up readily on google’s list of “Chambers et tables d’hotes” (B&B’s hidden down obscure French country lanes.) Undaunted, this experienced rally team drove on the right hand side of the road, avoiding with Yorkshire parsimony, every toll road in Normandy, and arrived unscathed, though slightly chastened, at the now to be famous, Jasmine Bleu B&B. A quick spin down the road to the Aux Diables Verts (The Green Devil) in Cormeilles for Magret de canard was followed by a rather slower spin back in the dark to Jasmine Bleu.

Jasmine Bleu

Yesterday evening - Wednesday 19th September we had dinner with Sister-in-Law Chris at her home in Clements Road, Ramsgate. She gave us a book which had been produced on the history of INVICTA Airlines where my brother, Alan, had worked. It includes a photograph of Alan and Chris. An even more impressive gift was a newspaper cutting of the opening of a new Wing at the School in Margate where Chris had worked for 37 years. The wing had been named the Martin Wing in recognition of her contribution to the school. En-route to Ramsgate we detoured through Ipswich to drop off winter cloths and check on Emily May. Emily May gave us a helping hand to leave, courtersy of Helen.

A Push from Emily May





Thursday morning 21st September saw us following the footsteps of all those famous British spies, down the road to Dover and an escape on the Calais Ferry. As conscientious, continental motorists, we purchased a hazard triangle, a spare set of car light bulbs, two day-glow vests, "whats-its" to stick on the headlights to stop them shining across the road, and a canard in a pear tree. Not to mention the GB sticker which incorrectly advertises the country of origin of these lousy, lost antipodean drivers. "sacre bleu"

British spy escaping in Mazda 626

Friday 21st September
Toll roads and more toll roads - hang the cost, we needed to head South more quickly. And so we did, to Amboise on the Loire River. Weather - fine, temperatures - highest yet, and chateaus that would chateau on the best in the world. French bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner - Tres bon, and so is Kerry’s French. She is "s’il vous plait-ing" with the best.

Colin negotiating house exchange in France

A View Down The Loire River

ALAS POOR YORK I KNEW HIM WELL

Sunday 16th September

We spent a great deal of Sunday training for the famous Dick Turpin Sunday night pub quiz. Tess had surreptitiously left a sheet of famous faces to identify in an attempt to get us focussed. This ploy worked well and kept us occupied through Sunday morning. The quiz team camped next to the bar and was completed by Monica, Nick and Nicky. A nervous team captain, under extreme pressure to control his novice team, gave us our final instructions and then the action began. At half time we were ahead by 4 points. Was it enough? The captain had serious doubts. A few wobbles crept in after half time, and the captain’s confidence began to drain away. The final score was announced. Main rivals 78: Us 79. A famous victory!!! Crisps all round.


Monday and Tuesday 17th&18th September.

We travelled South down the M1 arriving in Bromham, Bedfordshire, our home before we emigrated to Australia. George and Pam our neighbours looked after us grandly. We had dinner at the Green Man, Lavendon on Monday and lunch in the Royal George, Stevington on Tuesday. During Tuesday morning we had a short visit into Bedford and checked that The Swan still survived on the river and by the river – see photos.

SUNSHINE IN YORK

We arrived in York after a detour through Malton and Harrogate for a hair cut each. When you next see a photograph of these travellers there will be a competition to match the haircut with the hairdresser. The two hairdressers were, Yates and Sons, Farm and Garden Supplies, Malton, and Baroque, 4 Kings Road, Harrogate. On Saturday we went into a very busy York and bought a fist full of Euros for the big adventure. In the evening John and Tess took us to the renowned York pub, The Golden Ball, and then to an even more renowned Indian restaurant called Ujala where we had the best Indian meal yet. The meal was completed with free glasses of sambuca which had to be ignited before drinking. We think we came home on the bus.

BACK DOWN TO YORKSHIRE – UP NORTH

Monday 10th September

Famous landscape designer and successful farmer Dave Raines, and Yorkshire quilting champion Jane, looked after us right royally at Manor Farm, their 18h century house on Ryton Rigg in Rydale, near Malton. On Monday we walked the farm boundaries, checked the pheasant in the wood, which were being fed to a size big enough to be shot, ate a massive dinner of roast beef and half a dozen vegies, and fell into bed exhausted.

Tuesday 11th September

On Tuesday we visited Hawes in Wensleydale, bought cheese, visited the Black Sheep brewery in Masham, bought beer, then returned to Rydale and bought dinner at the Royal Oak Nunnington.( Sluffed and stuffed)

Wednesday 12th September

On Wednesday, we left The Raines’ and travelled over the moors to Glaisdale, via Whitby - Weather was lovely and we checked the famous Abbey steps –Where were all the Rolls’? Kerry was sure you said 5.30pm on Wednesday! (See photos.)

Thursday 13th September

Thursday morning arrived with mist and sunshine (See photos). After a brief visit to the famous Whitby internet cafe, we headed back across the moors to Scarborough to visit family friend Audrey. Unfortunately husband John has been in Scarborough Hospital for six weeks and so Audrey was pleased to be taken out for lunch to the Everley Hotel in Forge Valley. On the drive back to Glaisdale we called in at Sycarham Farm where I spent all my childhood school holidays. The farm house and farm buildings had been converted into houses. We poked our nose into what was the old farm yard and by pure chance bumped into a guest who was staying in the rented cottage. He was a regular visitor and when I told him of my interest, we got an instant introduction to the owners of the houses. The main house is owned by a family who were keen to hear any stories or history about the farm. The barn and calf boxes had been turned into a large house which is now owned by Yorkshire cricket captain Craig White. He had absolutely no interest in my story about how I used to clear manure out of his kitchen! In between these travels we watched England beat Russia 3-0 on the TV. A big win for England after months of poor, results. Tomorrow we head to York for the weekend, before our journey south to Bedford on Monday, Dover on Wednesday, and, on Thursday, our next adventure ----over to France on the ferry! But that will be another story!!!!

MORNING MIST OVER GLAISDALE

ROSE GARDEN GLAISDALE

WENSLEYDALE

IT'S 5.30. WHERE ARE YOU ALL?

NORTH - SOUTH - EAST - WEST - UMBERLAND

North, South East West, weve been everywhere man, even the Scotswood Road and along the River Tyne with it's new millenium bridge

All the lads and lasses there

They all had smilin' faces

Gannin along the Scotswood Road

To see the Blaydon races

Millenium footbridge opening to let ships through

After continually and repeatedly getting lost in Cheshire we decided to hire a guide in Umberland, and who better than Lord Fraser of Hexham. Bill as he is known to his friends took us on his highly reputed tours to Hadrians Wall, Holy Island and Cragside.

Friday 7th September we rambled along Hadrians wall. Hadrian was a rather obsessive Italian who had a passion for building walls. About 2000 years before Bill and Lady Fraser moved to Hexham, the region was managed for four hundred years by blokes in Roman Sandals who chose to live in Forts positioned every mile along the wall. The tree featuring in the following photograph is known as Kevin's tree because it apears in the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

About 500 years later a few miles up the road near the Farne Islands a guy called Aiden was paid by the local top hencho to bring Christianity to the Geordies. Aidan brought in a scribe called St Cuthbert who used a rather slow laptop to write an early blog, later called a bible. These intellectuals chose to live on Lindisfarne, one of the Farne Islands, which can be accessed only at low tide across a cause way. The island is also known as Holy Island because of its important status in the development of Christianity in Great Britain and because of the very tasty strawberries and peas that you can buy on the road into the island. On Saturday 8th September we visited Holy Island and bought a packet of holy strawberries and peas. However, these were out-shone by the fish and chips bought in a famous Umbrian sea side resort of Seahouses. See photo and note pot of tea, sliced bread and tablecloth.

Only 1300 years later in 1810, George Armstrong was born just a few miles South of Holy Island. He built the earliest hydraulic cranes, military guns, military ships, many for the Japanese Navy , and a range of aircraft in association with Joseph Whitworth . He was also famous for having the first house in the world to have electric lights. On Sunday 9th September we visited his house called Craghouse with Lord and Lady Fraser. Our names were added to an elite list of distinguished visitors including the Shah of Persia, the Prime Minister of Japan, and King Edward The Seventh. Lord and Lady Fraser known as (.) or Dorothy bought us an ice cream to commemorate the occasion.

The following is a photo of the famous Australian visitors.

GOODBYE MACCLESFIELD HELLO SCOTLAND

Sunday

Sunday morning 2nd September. The Pickles returned from their American Adventure, surprisingly intact given their long catalogue of death defying escapades. We returned our four legged charges to their owners without any detectable evidence of a replacement, and set off for the Lake District.

Kerry had booked a B & B in Grasmere. Grasmere - the home for several years of William Wordsworth when he wrote many of his famous poems, one of which was of course “I wandered lonely as a cloud” -- It was the perfect location for my first visit to the Lake District. To savour the atmosphere, we booked dinner at Villa Colombina, an Italian restaurant next to Dove cottage, Wordsworth's home in 1800. We understand Bill, as he was known locally, used to order take away pizzas quite regularly. We both ordered a seafood risotto. It was another risotto "to die for". They sure know how to make a good risotto in the U.K. The next morning after a pleasant breakfast with a family who had recently moved from Weymouth to York, we embarked on a walk to Alcock Tarn. The weather was beautiful and the views spectacular as the following photos will testify. From these viewpoints, there is no possibility of becoming lost, hence the absence of geese.

Monday

On Monday we headed over the border to Dunning in Scotland, home of the famous photographer Carol Dorsett. The weather was spectacular, as it always is in Dunning. Carol and Ted took us on a breathtaking walk along the River Garry, or was it the Tay or the Clyde? Again the photos below show the walk beautifully.

In the evening Ted told us the story of a young boy from Dunning who was hidden from the Nazis by a French family for four years during the second world war. The Dunning Historical Society decided to seek out this family and they put together a magnificent film of the process. They found the family - a really impressive achievement and film. The people from Dunning visited them in France and the French family visited Dunning. It was quite moving. Not to be outdone, Carol took us on a historical tour of Marks and Spencers in Perth. Photographs would not do justice to the ladies department.

Kerry climbing Alcocks Tarn

A view from the top of The Tarn

Carol and Kerry striding out