Geneva 2015

In many ways the lake shore is the best part of Geneva. We walked from the Jet D'eau along the promenade, past boats and huts to the Jardin Anglais ferry stop, and then on the promenade beside the Jardin Anglais. We saw that there was a bandstand and a cafe, but generally kept to the promenade, with the jetties for the longer boat trips.

The river Rhone leaves the lake at this point,  and we walked across the Pont du Mont Blanc, from which the mountain peak can be seen on a clear day. We might have crossed under the bridge and continued on the promenade crossing on the next bridge. This route is lit up at night by a string of lights on the hotel fronts. This second bridge, the Pont du Berries, has access to the Isle de Roussau an area of seating and decking we will explore next time we visit.

Across the Pont du Mont Blanc, toward the west, is the tourist information office, and the Gare de Routiere, where we caught the bus to Annecy. Further still, not anywhere we walked to, is the railway station, Gare de Cornavin,  and beyond that the airport. The promenade continues past Paquis,  which is where there is a jetty leading to a lighthouse, opposite the Jet D'eau.  Part way along, are baths in the lake,  with changing rooms, lifeguard and a café. There was no-one swimming early evening when we were there in April, but plenty of folk at the cafe or sunbathing on the jetty.

Further along to the north are the botanical gardens, which we loved. There is a great variety of plants, well labelled, some animals, and a café up a slight hill, affording a good view of the lake. We enjoyed our beer and fruit tart sitting outside the café in the sunshine. Behind the gardens are the United Nations building,  and park, which we did not visit. 

Up the hill behind the Jardin Anglais is the old town and St Peters cathedral. Before the hill are two roads, Rue de Rhone and Rue de Rive on which all the trams run between Bel-air, by the Rhone, and Rive and Place de Eaux-vives, which is where the more residential area begins.  Here there are shops, some affordable most not, and banks, and squares and cafés.  As we walked up the hill to the old town, we chose some good roads but missed other sights, including the Morlard tower, which we will have to climb next time.

The centre of the old town is the Place du Bourg de Four, perfect for sitting outside the cafés and drinking tea. We were pleased to find a café that served both both Assam and Darjeeling tea, and also had a view of the Jet D'eau.  Next to the square, but a little higher is the Cathedral, with good views over the city and lake from the towers, the archaeological museum, and the museum of the reformation. Next to the square on the other side, across a footbridge high over the main road below is the Museum of Art & History.

Around the Cathedral in other directions are various streets with interesting corners shops churches and cafés, all worth exploring, although some streets were quite steep. We made our way down to the Rue de Corraterie, where we enjoyed cake and coffee at one of the cafés there.

Further South from the old town is the Place du Neuve, Plainpalais,  and Carouges. We visited Plainpalais first, a big diamond shaped square which housed a market, a circus and a funfare. The day we were there the market was more bric-a-brac than antique. We walked down some streets and found a bookshop,  called 'au Chien Bleu' with many children's books, which was impressively busy. We also saw a memorial to the French residents and Swiss volunteers who died in World War One. 

This took us to the Parc de Bastion,  which we walked through past the Reformation Wall. This monument has ten oversize statues of important figures in the reformation.  We walked past a grand conservatory style café, and the corner with about ten large open air chess boards, to arrive at the Place du Neuve, which has the opera house on the other side. after a cake and coffee at the café de Corraterie,  we took a tram out to Carouges.

Carouges is further south, across the river L'Arve, a tributary of the Rhone. It was settled by Italians from Savoy, and has a more Mediterranean feel. We got the tram to the Place de Rondeau, and retraced the route along Rue D' anciennes, enjoying the squares, the quirky shops, and the general atmosphere. This was our first day, and we loved the relaxed atmosphere after the busyness of the travelling to the hotel from the airport.

The Laindons, Hastings

Jon and Sara made us feel welcome, and we felt very much at home during our 5 day stay at the Laindons this November.
The accommodation is tastefully decorated, with a fishing or nautical theme, giving a relaxed and uncluttered feel throughout.The room was clean light airy warm and spacious. The bed was very comfortable and the en-suite with shower very adequate.
The location is ideal. Hastings Old Town has the feel of a village, nestling between West and East Hill, away from the busyness of the new town beyond West Hill. There are many cafes, pubs, restaurants, a myriad of shops, quirky and independent, and lots of antiques. Mostly they are on George Street, on the sea front, and at that end of the High Street. The Laindons stands part way along the High Street, where the shops start to give way to the quite old and picturesque residential end. The traffic is minimal, and there is a cut through to a car park with free overnight parking.
Breakfast is a fine affair, home made muesli with yoghurt and home made fruit compote, with Bircher muesli or grapefruit as alternatives. A limited choice, but I would not choose anything different. The full English breakfast was excellent, as was the smoked haddock and Blueberry pancake options. The apple and pear juice was sourced from a local farm, though I did miss options for orange a grapefruit.  A Dualit toaster was on-hand to make your own toast from the delicious home made bread, very soft, yet easy to cut, and very tasty, a true delight.
Breakfast was served in a first floor conservatory, with views looking out over East Hill. Next to the conservatory was the residents lounge, which we found to be very comfortable. There were books and games, and we played a few games of scrabble, and ate our fish and chips there one night.
Also in the evening, there are apples tangerines, and nuts with a nut cracker freely available, while outside the rooms there were crisps drinks and other refreshments for sale. In the room, each evening were two home made cake portions, wrapped for freshness, as well as a flask of fresh milk for the tea and coffee making in the room.
It is not ideal for disability. Ann needed assistance, an arm or walking stick, for the three steps up to the front door, and the stairs up to the first floor had a turn, and an outward opening door at the top. The stairs up to our room were OK, but we will ask for one of the two first floor rooms next time.
All of Hastings Old town are within easy walking distance. We enjoyed our anniversary meal at The First In Last out pub and ate twice at the excellent Cafe Maroc, both less than 100 yards walk.  We also enjoyed Hanushka Coffee Bar during the day.

Driving in Kenosha

Earlier this year I had my first experience of driving in America. We were lent a black Kia, and I became a Dallas Cowboys supporter for the week.

I was glad to be picked up from the airport, and see how Americans drive on the interstate. They have a relaxed attitude to lanes, overtaking on the inside rather than getting wound up at people staying in an outside or middle lane.  Quite a good idea, really.
Apart from one trip to watch a baseball game in Milwaukee, all my driving was in Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie. I am sure Chicago and downtown Milwaukee would have been a bit different, but the experience was quite relaxed.
The roads are generally straight, and quite wide, and there is very little on street parking, and plenty of parking by the shops. The speed limits are relatively slow, 45, 35 and 25mph, and the car was automatic with air conditioning, and we were on holiday.
Of course driving on the right was different, and a couple of occasions I would have caused an accident, but for a sharp cry from Ann in the passenger seat or good reactions the other driver. There was also a slight sense of unease, on turning left on a wider road, as if there might be traffic on the other side of the road coming from behind rather than in front.

I found it difficult to get used to the four way stop.  These also served to make the driving feel relaxed, because when you get to one of these you slow right down and stop, even when you can see there is no other car there. If there is another car already there, you give way to them.
It is so different to almost every junction here  in the UK where one road is the major road with right of way, and the other is the minor road and gives way.  I arrived at one four way stop from what felt a very minor road, when a truck was coming from left to right - all my instincts were to stay still until he had passed, but it did not happen  -- he started to slow down, and I needed to move off so as to not delay him more than necessary. It did feel weird.
There is not a great deal of difference between the look of a stop sign at a minor road, and a four way stop, which got me beeped at on one occasion. After stopping at what I thought was a four way stop I started to go expecting the car yet to arrive at the stop would do the same. Well he did, and beeped at me, because he had the right of way.

Finding you way around Kenosha is very easy. All the Avenues run North South, and are numbered from the   shoreline out to the west, and all the streets run East West, and are numbered from number 1 in the north to 128 on the border with Illinois.  If you are heading for 7426 27th Avenue, you know to find it between 74th and 75 street.  It was basically very easy.
There are some complications. One is that the major roads are also known by their state numbers, so that 104th street is also route 165, and 7th street is also route 50. Another is that you cannot just turn up any street or avenue and expect to get where you want, as some are discontinuous. You get to learn which streets (80th 85th 104th) and which Avenues (22nd 39th) will get you through rather than deliver you to a dead end. Choosing a road with traffic lights at the junction is a good clue.  Then some roads run at angles to the grid system, or take different numbers as they weave around.  Sheridan Road, also route 32, is 13th Ave in toward the south and 9th Avenue near the town centre.  Even with the complications, we managed to get almost everywhere without the need of a map.
Back in the UK I looked at the Google map of Racine, the neighbouring town to the north.  It was most confusing! Most of the roads had names instead of numbers, Avenues ran East West as well as North South,  and so did the streets. I am glad we were not so adventurous as to look there, I have no idea how they manage.

So, on to the final story, which was second to last night. I was grateful to our hosts, who had lent the car for driving us home at the end of the festivities on the Saturday. On the Friday night I drove home, starting with dropping one family member off elsewhere. The first leg of the journey was fine, but shortly after restarting there were flashing lights from a police car behind, so I came to a stop, and the police stopped some distance behind.
I do not often get stopped in this or any other country, and did not see any problem with getting out and making my way to them to see what the problem was. They were quick and forceful in making sure I understood I was to get back in the car. It was not a pleasant experience. It turned out I had forgotten to turn the lights back on after the stop, so after a lot of questions, when he eventually let us go on, I was glad to be making my way with lights on the rest of the journey.

Kenosha

Kenosha has a beautiful shoreline on the banks of Lake Michigan.

To the south, we did not visit Kensosha Sand Dunes or Southport Park, but I did contemplate the lake from the jetty in the grounds of the Kemper Center, which houses the Anderson Arts Center. Just along from there is the beach, by Eichelman Park, and Southport Marina, and the three museums, Public, Civil War and Dinosaur.

We left these to visit for another day, choosing instead to while away our time by the harbour, as often as not at Haborside Common Grounds.  We did venture north, past a second marina catering only for power boats, but we were otherywise engaged during concert that takes place each Wednesday night in summer at the Bandshell in Pennoyer Park. Our journey took us to the campus of Carthage College, where John studies, which was just beautiful. We did not see any litter anywhere.

Away from the shoreline, Kenosha (population 99,218) has plenty of amenities and industry, but has a relaxed, small town feel. The roads are wide and spacious, the traffic is generally light, and driving is easy. The cities of Milwaukee and Chicago are about an hour's drive away. We went to watch the Milwaukee Brewers play the Toronto Bluejays at Basketball at Miller Park - a great game, with a 10 - 9 scoreline, and several of our group ventured into Chicago where they enjoyed the great architecture.  We also went west as far as Lake Geneva and saw some scenery that was not so flat as the rest.

For many, the attraction of Kenosha lies near the junction of 60th Street and 39th Avenue - Living Light Church. It is here that they run the Living Light School of Worship, a nine month course pursuing Christian Maturity, Music, and other aspects of Worship. That is what brought our son John to Kenosha, and introduced him to friends at Living Light and around the world.

He never went with the intention of staying, but now he is married and living in Kenosha. That is, for us at least, the greatest attraction of Kenosha.

Punt Tour on theCam

A chauffered tour in a punt on the Cam is can be a wonderful way to spend an hour when you are in Cambridge.

You can take out self-hire punts, and it may be fun, but you miss out on all the information and anecdotes that your guide entertains you with on the way. Plus it probably takes more than a couple of hours tuition to become competent.

Our guide on the Friday after Easter was a recent graduate of Sheffield University, who lives locally, and this had been his summer job since he was sixteen. He was certainly very competent at punting, making it look effortless, and he also knew a lot about Cambridge.
We started by Silver Bridge, and the route to Quayside took us past several colleges, under various bridges. There are some great sights, Kings College chapel, Trinity College Library, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and gardens stretching down to the river.
The Cam used to be navigated with horses pulling barges from a tow-path, like a canal, which worked well until they got to Cambridge, where there was no tow-path on account of the the colleges owning the land right up to the river, and buildings on both sides near the quayside.  The solution was to lay gravel on the river bed, so that it was shallow enough for the horses to walk on the river bed pulling the barges.

That is how it is that punts are propelled by pushing the pole against the gravel on the river bed. There is always the danger that the pole gets stuck in the gravel. The secret is to let go of the pole, and stay on the boat. I am sure you feel sheepish, but at least you stay dry.  We had the good fortune to see someone do exactly that, and our guide very expertly retrieved the pole for them.

Punts are flat bottomed and very stable, they have blankets in case it gets cold, and umbrellas in case it rains. Thankfully we did not need them. The full ticket price as £16.50 each, but somebody from Scudamores gave us a voucher so it cost the two of us just £26.00.
fter the tour, we went to the nearby Fitzwilliam Museum looking at ancient Assyrian and Egyptian artefacts, and French Impressionists but missed the Chinese Jade that, quite coincidentally was stolen later that night.

Finchingfield

Travelling between Braintree, where we had visited the Warner Textile Archive and Saffron Walden, on our way to Cambridge, we could not help but stop at the picturesque village of Finchingfield.

Capernwray House

If you are looking for somewhere to stay between Lancaster and Kendal, then Roy & Mel's bed & breakfast at Capernwray House comes highly recommended.

There are many reasons why people stay at Capernwray House. The Lake district and Yorkshire Dales are in easy reach, and there is marvellous scenery nearby in the Lune valley and the Silverdale & Arnside Area of Outstanding natural beauty.  Some people come for the nearby diving centre, others to visit the RSPB centre at Leighton Moss, and others to visit family studying a residential bible course at Capernwray Hall.  It is great for breaking a long journey; within ten minutes of turning off the M6, you can be turning into the driveway. We visit when Ann attends courses at ArtyBird in Carnforth.

The rooms are outstanding. Spotlessly clean, ensuite, beautifully decorated in restful colours, wardrobe and drawer space, seating area generally with second TV, and what what we all come for, a comfortable bed with various pillow and duvet options if needed.

The welcome at Capernwray House is wonderful. Once your bags are safely in your room, there is a complimentary cup of tea or coffee in the guests lounge, or perhaps outside on the patio. Mel & Roy are comfortable in their role as hosts, interested in what you are doing, ready to engage in conversation or just let you get on with things. When you ring the bell they are attentive to your needs, a flask of fresh milk for your room for example, and their easy manner helps you to enjoy the wonderful offering at breakfast.

When my son John asked me which room has the best view, I struggled to give an answer. There are no spectacular mountains, although the view North to the lake district is impressive. It is more rolling and lush, whether facing the ridge beyond which lies the Lune valley, or across Carnforth to Morecanbe bay beyond, or towards Arnside Knott, it is all green and refreshing.  There are also some good sunsets.

If there is any disadvantage, it is that all of the nearby places to eat are a short drive, rather than walking distance, away.  What you lose by having to take the car, you gain in the peace and tranquillity.  Our favourite eating places are The Bay Horse at Arkholme and the Wheatsheaf at Beetham.

As a village Capernwray has no discernable centre. The church, the Hall, the diving centre and the canal are all about 5-10 minutes walk away. Most people will arrive from Carnforth or the M6, turning left at the cross roads in Over Kellett. After passing the the 17th century cottages on the left, the road dips to cross a beck at Swarthbeck House, and as the road rises again the white sign of Capernwray House is visible on the right.  Avoid the road to Capernwray Farm to the right, and go over the cattle grid between the stone pillars, and park in front of the house.

Enjoy your stay. We do, again and again.

John's Summer

We may not get to have John to stay for an extended break with us again, so here are some of what he got up to when he was home in the summer of 2011.

He worked hard:-
He painted the piano room walls, three cream and one green.
For two or three days, as work was available, he worked at packing goods in a warehouse down by the docks.
He cleaned a house between tenancies, and disassembled a reassembled a wardrobe.
With his friend Pete, he trimmed the branches of the cherry blossom tree in the front garden.
They lifted and re-laid the paving flags in the front of the house, making it all look much neater.
They spent a marvellous Sunday evening having a bonfire on the front drive, burning the branches cut from the tree, sitting on the garden chairs eating their chips. It looked great.  A week or two later some local youth followed their example and built fires in Smithdown Road, but they were inspired by events in London rather than our front drive.

He played hard:-
He played some games of tennis; he got around the place by cycling.
He played ultimate frisbee with the lads on Mark's stag weekend. His general level of fitness did not serve him well, but he did not give an inch, and played hard so as to not let his friends down.
We played frisbee in Newsham Park with Scott Dan Nathan Dave & Lu while Anna and Rachel sat and chatted.
We played many fast and furious games of Settlers of Catan. He was generous at teaching us the game and pointing out good tactics. He introduced several people to the game. (Several friends were made to play - they given no option!) Special thanks to Amber for sending the game from America.
We played one game of Carcassonne.
After a great Sunday lunch with friends, with 13 people round the table, all but two stayed put for a great game of Zilch. Amazingly, I won that.

He appreciated and made music:-
When Kim arrived six of us went to the Philharmonic Hall for a program of Gershwin Music. and later on four of us went to see Serita Cheeks in Manchester.  Serita came to stay for a couple of days and and they visited the Beatles museum as well as some other sights.
John got drawn into the Worship team at church playing keys for a couple of different worship leaders, where he seemed to fit in very well.
Towards the end of his time John arranged a couple of piano recitals at a friends house, playing Mozart and Chopin. It was part fund raising for university fees and part a way of saying goodbye to folks.  It was also a good challenge getting pieces up to performance standard. We enjoyed two great evenings with about 15 folk, and another Sunday afternoon with six of us. It is lovely hearing him play at home but was very special hearing him perform.

Climbing through windows.
One day he managed to get locked out of two houses on three separate occasions. His own keys to our house, and those to the house he was working in, were locked inside. Before climbing in through a first floor window, he fetched a stepladder from our house, climbing through a window to get at it.   All of this was after being rescued once, when the outgoing tenant turned up to hand in a set of keys at a very opportune moment.

We watched some films:-
On John's first evening we watched The Bourme Identity. (Actually I think I was out that night). During the stay we watched the Bourne Supremacy. Then on his last night, we watched the Bourne Ultimatum.  Thanks to Nathan for lending it.
We watched Invictus and the secret life of bees, and probably some others as well.

John passed his driving test.
Well done John, and well done his teacher Judith Pegram. She managed to replace the bad habits he had picked up from me.  He went on the car insurance for seven days, and he took Ann for a day out in Southport, and got his first motorway experience when we picked up Anna from Sheffield.  Visitors got a lift home each night and when I got in the car the next morning I found music I did mot know I had on my iPod.

Enjoying the Hostelry.
The three Pendray men managed one brief visit to a local pub, where John drank cider, his choice of drink after nine moths of being tee-total, being too young to drink legally in America. His favourite meal with us was probably the evening with Kim at the Bay Horse at Arkholme, but his best evening was with Kim at Ego restaurant and afters at the Panoramic Restaurant in Liverpool.

We saw lots of countryside.
We took Kim to Llandudno before Anna went to Romania, spending a lazy afternoon on the west shore and going round Conwy castle before fish and chips at Rhos and viewing the sunset from the beach at Colwyn Bay.
We visited Skelghyll falls at Ambleside, and Aira Force by Ullswater, with great views of Windermere Troutbeck and and Kirkstone. We stayed near the Lune valley and visited Kendal castle, with Kim. Another time John and I had a great picnic on Scout scar overlooking the Lyth valley.

We went sailing.
David Kim John and I had a morning at Killington before going onto a picnic by the river Kent at Kendal, and John and I had two sessions on Ullswater while Ann enjoyed the view from the sailing centre at Glenridding. It was a nice force 2 both days, and John got the hang of helming quite well.

John got a US Visa.
There was quite a lot of emailing back and forth, getting the right papers and letters to his college before they could issue the form he needed to apply for the visa. Then came the cheap but uncomfortable coach ride to London, just on the night the riots became widespread.   By nine in the morning he had visited the US embassy and did his sightseeing bit round London.

Uncles and Aunts.
We took Kim to London and had a meal in Amersham with the other Pendrays. Only Katy and Anna were missing, both on the same Romania trip. John and Kim also had a meal with Carol & Jim in Hoylake.  Giving them a lift (it was before John had passed his test) I caught up with some friends in West Kirkby, and it seemed a very pleasant atmosphere when I called to pick them up.  On the way back we called on John's former piano teacher, who was very pleased to make contact again.

Parties in the rain.
After thunder and lightening the evening before, and heavy showers during the morning, we spilled out after Mark & Zoya's wedding into a pleasant afternoon milling amongst the guests with music from the Cello and Saxaphone of Ian & Lucy, before making our way to the reception where the bride sang accompanied by Chris Horn's jazz band.
The worst rain was one Sunday when various choirs and groups were performing at the bandstand to a small but dedicated and bedraggled group of onlookers. It was not all rain.  I did stroll out one afternoon and and join the tail end of a very pleasant picnic in Sefton Park.

London
John and Kim joined us for lunch in the cafeteria of the National Museum by Trafalgar square.  While we had visited the Courtauld gallery at Somerset House, they viewed London from a height at the London Eye. In the afternoon we went to Liberty while they went to Hyde Park.
We bumped into a Nivea promotion at Euston station, and John got photographed as a potential model. I got given a free sample as well, but they never took my photo.

Anything else?
Well I have to say I was disappointed that so many of the Pringles I bought got devoured in a "How many Pringles can you eat at once?" competition. But whatever I thought we will probably remember the evening that Chris came to visit.

Really, anything else?
Oh Yes. He popped the question and Kim said Yes. Kim and John are engaged. How exciting is that?

Hotel Comte

So, what about Hotel Comte in Rue de Dijon, Nice? Yes, I would stay there again, and I would recommend it, but look elsewhere if you want thick carpets and palatial rooms.  A studio flat was very satisfactory for the four of us for four nights at a total cost of €291.00.
The tariff was €70 per night for the flat, plus sales tax. I did think it was going to be €107.50 per night, with breakfast and car parking.  The hotel coffee did smell good as I went out to the nearby pattisserie to buy the pain au chocolate and pain au rasin, but we were very happy eating breakfast in the room, and the nearby car park turned out to be free on Sundays and overnight.
My first impressions were not good. I was dismayed for Kath, because there was a short but quite steep ramp at the front door, and our room was up a flight of stairs with no lift, but she did really well.  The rooms in the main part of the hotel did have lifts, but our flat was in the building at the back, along narrow corridors with light switches on timers. The flat itself had a living room with a table and two single beds, a separate bedroom about 9" longer than the bed.  The bath was too short to lie in and the shower was a hand held affair. There was a balcony looking over an untidy garden and looking over the car park.
For all the initial disappointment, it suited us very well. It was clean and comfortable, we got good nights' sleep. The kitchenette served us well for tea and coffee, and the table sufficed for breakfast and one of our four evening meals.
Our first problem was how to drive to Rue de Dijon in the hire car. We got this off to a tee by the end. From the Promenade des Anglais, the main road running from the airport to the town centre along the coast, turn onto Boulevard Gambetta, and keep going under the bridge that carries the main overhead dual carriage way from East to West. After a while the road forks to the left, or would do, except it is one way, and the next right turn is Rue Clement Roassal, which leads to Rue de Dijon.
Arriving by tram is even easier. It costs just one euro for any journey within 70 minutes however far you travel.  When you get off at Liberation, the hotel is in sight. Liberation square was a great place to be near, especially on Sunday morning. There were fruit stalls every morning, but on Sunday there were all sorts including a complete row of fish stalls.

We bought fruit not only to eat, but also to draw. On our evening in we used one of the pieces of paper that the food was wrapped in to draw a still life. Good times.

You can tell which is mine, it is the least artistic one.

Two of our three meals out were a very short walk away from the hotel, and Restaurant L'Instant on the first night was especially good and welcoming.

Lyme Regis

Three years ago I was slightly disappointed with Lyme Regis, but this year we really enjoyed it.
We stopped at Charmouth on the Monday morning, and went to the Open Air market, where I bought some Regatta trousers and some walking shoes for Anna.  There is no bank there, so I drew out some money from the post office.
I dropped the family at the little car park by the museum, it is basically a roundabout with parking spaces round three sides, you are lucky if a space comes free. The drive in gets quite narrow at points, the lights are not because there is a junction, but rather the road does not take two way traffic at the corner. There are other points where the road is marked keep clear, and if drivers do not it gets quite awkward when the bus comes the other way.
There is plenty of space at the car park, and it costs only a pound all day, and there are toilets.  Best of all there is a wonderful view of the town the bay and the blue and green waters sparkling in the sunshine.  There is another car park, by the fire and police stations, but you have to drive through some narrow streets busy with pedestrians, it is more expensive and hardly any closer to the beach.
From the bottom of the hill, the promenade leads to the harbour and the Cobb, Broad street has all the shops, and the narrow road leading inland follows the river Lym past the mill and other parts of the town.
We ate at the cafe de Sol, on the terrace overlooking the river. There were no free tables inside, so we huddled under a parasol from the shower, but by the time we had decided what to order the shower was gone and the sky was a bright blue, a beautiful day.
After lunch we explored the area around the mill. I went on the guided tour of the mill, which was very informative. It generates its own electricity, and it mills flour using the water wheel. When I rejoined the family they were in one of the buildings near the mill which was being used as an art gallery. We bought pictures by a local artists Jan Callow and Barbara Green.
Later John and I walked across to the harbour and out onto the Cobb, the stone jetty made famous by John Fowles novel and the film The French Lieutenants Woman.  It was very impressive.  The waves were quite strong, splashing up onto the cobb, while the harbour and the beach enjoyed the shelter it gives. Past the promenade some shallow rocks stretch out to sea, so that the waves were breaking over some distance and the rolled in. It was late afternoon at this point, the sun was getting lower, and shining on the coast and cliff stretching out past Golden Cap and round the bay. It did look very golden.
We came to Lyme a second day, and we spent some time in the shops on Broad Street. The book shop at the bottom held my interest the best, though it would have been useful to remember that the convenience stores stay open longer than our local Londis in Chideock.  The weather was less bright that day, and Anna John and I went walking past the harbour onto the Shingle beach beyond.  It took good notice of the sailing club compound, and on the way back got chatting to someone packing up his Wayfarer, and helped him free his lanyard that had got caught inside the mast.
We had one night time trip to Lyme, when we had a sit down meal eating fish and chips at the Lyme fish bar.  Then we went for a walk along the promenade, and Kim took some pictures of the moon and its reflection over the water.

Blackwell House

Blackwell House was built in 1900 by M. H. Baillie Scott, as a holiday home for Sir Edward Holt, a Manchester Industrialist and one time Lord Mayor. Baillie Scott was part of the Arts and Crafts Movement, inspired by John Ruskin and William Morris, and the house has a more restful relaxed atmosphere than the busyness of the average Victorian home.

It was acquired by the Lakeland Trust 10 years ago, and has been open to the public since 2001. As well as admiring the quite beautifully restored internal decoration, visitors also get to see craft exhibitions as they are housed in the upstairs rooms. It is located south of Bowness, on the hillside affording wide views of Windermere and the Coniston fells beyond. Visitors to the tea room can either sit inside, or on the terrace, enjoying the views.

The house has a large hall, more like a medieval house, but like all the rooms, there is a an inglenook around the the fireplace, for more intimate gatherings. There is a second area of recessed seating with a superb peacock frieze in the opposite corner, and above the fireplace there is a minstrels' gallery.

There are two other downstairs rooms, a dining room, fairly formal with its wood panelling, but facing west, and with views over Windermere is the drawing room. The walls and ceilings are all patterned, but painted white, and the result is very light and restful. There is a recessed seating area around a window, with views over the lake, and as the other rooms, inglenook seating around the fireplace. There is a shelf, at picture rail height around the room, supported by slim columns. It really is a most restful and peaceful room.

Upstairs there is a bedroom with a dressing room, and one smaller bedroom. This room has some pictures of the time the house was used to re-house a school during the war time. The other upstairs rooms house craft exhibitions. At our visit we saw an exhibition of glass made by James Powell & Sons. There were also sculptures by David Nash.

The exhibition changes each few months, so we can look forward to visiting again next year.

RYA level 2 at Glenridding

Once again Steve and Pete provided us with three days of wonderful sunshine and gentle winds for our RYA level 2 course last weekend. I do not know how they manage it.

Our instructor, also called Pete, went through stuff in a thorough, unhurried way, and we gained a good understanding of a lot of things that we only had a slender grasp of at level 1. The same unhurried approach continued on the water, where we learnt to go about in a controlled manner. It inspired confidence that none of us were in wetsuits on the first day; he obviously expected to stay dry. Meanwhile Neil, our instructor at level 1, was coping with a big group of young teenage lads in canoes; what a hero.

There were three of us learning, rather than two for our level 1. What we lost out on by having less time at the helm, was more than made up for by the camaraderie and teamwork. We became very confident with one another, so that by the time we did man overboard on the last day, and the crew are not supposed to help because we were simulating being without crew, we were very happy curled up in the front, or enjoying the magnificent views.

We were very pleased to discover that man overboard was in fact a floating buoy, and not one of us. This was one of the few brand new skills, most of the course was fine tuning skills and understanding that we had at least some exposure to at level 1. Another new one was sailing backwards, which fascinated us, as did raising the centre board to get out of irons (pointing directly upwind) when the jib is not available.

We had plenty of experience of righting a capsized boat, none of it unplanned. It was good, because it gives us confidence when we go out without an instructor. We did find it a bit more of a struggle when you are eight stone than when you are seventeen stone. (I was in the middle).

As well as the practical stuff, we had some class room work to do. Sitting outside in garden chairs, looking out over Ullswater in bright sunshine - we had it tough!

What we have to do now is keep one another to the intention to get more experience, and not let our newly learnt skills and confidence get forgotten. That, and Pete's final comment to me - don't forget to pay attention to things outside the boat as well.

Sailing at Glenridding

After two enjoyable days sailing I have a certificate to show for it.  

We could not have had two better days, brights sunshine, gentle reliable wind, mostly force 2 coming consistently from a Northerly direction, it was ideal conditions for learning to sail.   

There was one instructor for two course participants, which meant we got experience of being crew and at the helm, opportunity to practice all the manouvres, and to watch both the instructor and one another, (learning from mistakes) as well as ask lots of questions.

There is a definite advantage in doing the course in a dinghy with mainsail and jib.   Learning solo in a single sail boat with an instructor in a motor boat gives you twice the experience at the helm, but you have to learn about a two sail boat later.  With the instructor there, you spend more time on the water, you see stuff demonstrated for real, you can ask questions as they arise.

Our instructor was called Neil, clearly enjoyed sailing and following sailing races, and was ready to answer our questions even if it took us onto stuff we did not need to know for the qualification. Steve & Pete, the centre managers also took an interest in how we were doing, and generally managed to make us feel very welcome at the centre.

The boat we learned in was a Laser Stratos, small enough to be manned by one, better by wo, and fitted the three of us reasonably, and would certainly manage four at a pinch.  

Ullswater is a beautiful place to learn to sail.  We were surrounded by beautiful scenery, that (almost) made me wish I had been out walking instead.  We were lucky, getting a fairly consistent wind, it can come from different directions with all those mountains around.  There are islands, buoys, bays, lots of interest, and hazards - another good reason to have the intructor in the boat with you - you need to learn the lake as well as the boat.

Memories of Last Summer

Just a little picture of the view leaving Lymington harbour, bound for Yarmouth.