Karen’s 2023 England Memoir

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Just after the first of the year Butch’s cousin, Sue Willmott, invited Judy and me to come to England for a family visit. The plan was to meet with relatives there and see various gardens and great houses in the springtime. I had traveled to England with Butch’s family over 50 years ago but had never been back. Work responsibilities and a foot surgery had kept me home when Butch returned on several occasions. It was an exciting opportunity and I quickly accepted the invitation and started making preparations for the visit.

Judy and Karen

Finally, with a new passport in hand I was ready to go. We set the alarm for 3:30 am so that I could get to the airport on time for a rather grueling day of travel. In order for Judy and me to travel together, I left Cedar Rapids at 6:30 am, traveled to Chicago, then made the connection to Boston after a 2 hour layover. Judy met my plane there where we switched airlines. We had a light lunch, then waited for the next leg from Boston to JFK in New York. Another long layover there and finally our flight to London Gatwick took off at 8:30 pm local time. Airplane travel in economy class is not known for comfort. The seats are squeezed together with little leg room or personal space. Our flight was OK but conditions are not great for sleeping. We arrived in England at 8:30 am local time which was around 2:30 am for my body with the time difference. Both of us were very tired.

Sue found us and met us in the place we had arranged and drove us to Trish and Simon Bennett’s house in Stoke Goldington. We were pampered with a delicious cold lunch of poached salmon, smoked mackerel, and fresh salad. Trish lives in a beautifully modernized old house with a large private lot. They have planted many trees and gardens to make the outside as nice as inside. Flowering trees were in bloom and spring flowers were starting to blossom in the flower beds. We spent the rest of the day settling in and trying to stay awake!

Trish’s House

Archie and Robyn

Trish picked up two of her grandchildren from school in the afternoon, six year old Archie and four year old Robyn arrived with lots of energy to eat their tea and tell us about their day. They had lots to say about play time, nature study, and their school friends. Along with Trish and Simon’s two dog’s Izzie and Poppy, and the children’s dog Buttons we had a lively afternoon. We still fought our fatigue and tried to stay awake to combat jet lag which is inevitable.

Simon and his dogs

Before we left home, Judy and I tried to think of a gift we could bring to the cousins to thank them for their hospitality. My sister Linda is an artist and hand dyes beautiful silk scarves to sell. We bought a selection of colorful scarves from her for each lady to choose from. Sue chose one colored with pinks and purples and Trish chose one in shades of orange. Judy made cards from hand made papers to go with each one.

Colorful Scarves

The fight to stay awake was real. After a delicious chicken curry for dinner with great conversation around the table we fell into bed at about 9:30 local time! I think I was up for over 30 hours but we were too tired to figure it out!

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Judy and I were able to sleep as long as we liked. I fell asleep right away but woke up at 3:30 am again. I tried to go back to sleep but without any luck so I decided to begin writing this journal hoping it would make me tired. After I got two days of our travel recorded my plan seemed to work so I closed my eyes and slept for three more hours. I started my day with a shower and felt quite refreshed for the day ahead.

Judy, Anne, and Max

After breakfast Sue and Trish took us to meet Andrew Butler, his wife Anne and their youngest grandson Max. We met at Narrow Boat Museum. The day was beautiful, warm, and sunny and we started with a stroll down the pathway as far as the tunnel. Along the way we stopped to have a chat with a couple making a repair to their boat. It had an interesting collection of logs for their stove, bags of soil, and growing plants on their roof. When we got to the tunnel we saw several boats go into the tunnel and one come out. The fellow coming out said it was very unpleasant. The tunnel is over a mile long, pitch dark, and boats are not allowed to go very fast.

Andrew Butler

Afterwards, we walked back to the museum and had a coffee at a shady picnic table. We had a lovely chat to catch up with family news. Trish and Sue headed back home and Andrew took Judy and me on a nice drive through the countryside. We went through several small villages with picturesque thatched cottages, over very narrow roads and bridges and past the estate of Lady Diana Spencer’s family. We then went out to lunch at a farm shop. Max kindly showed us the orange squeezing machine and also picked out sweets for himself and his brothers.

Karen and Judy at the lock in Stoke Bruerne

We ended the day at the Butler house where their daughter Laura arrived with Andrew and Anne’s other two grandsons, Harry and Jasper. The boys were fed by their grandma as we got acquainted. Andrew and Anne have a pretty yard with a vegetable garden, a fish pond, a small green house, and space in the middle for the boys to play. All three are involved with football and cricket and keep a busy schedule. Andrew drove us back to Trish’s house where we sent along a scarf for Anne that included her favorite colors of purple, pink, and blue.
We had another nice dinner and ended the evening playing Judy’s card game, Five Crown. I was pretty hopeless but we laughed together with wine and spirits to add to the mood.

Friday, May 19, 2023

Today, Judy and Butch’s cousin Jenny and Colin Clarke arrived on their way home from a family vacation with their daughter Hannah and her husband Lewis and their baby Thea, and Amy and her husband Gareth with their children Griff and Winter. Lunch with Jenny’s family was just like a big family get together at our house. They had all been at a resort with swimming and other activities to suit families. They came in three cars because each had to go to their own homes from here. Trish had planned a beautiful cold lunch that was easy to put together and suited kids and adults. She and Simon set up the table with an extension so that everyone could sit down together. It was a lovely chaos of voices of all ages all talking and laughing at the same time. We had a range of ages from 3 months to 73 years.

Griff and Jenny

Thea and Karen

After lunch we went into the sitting room where the children found the collection of grand children toys. Amy’s oldest son is Griff. When Judy and Butch came to England in 2018 they attended his christening. Now he is a very precocious boy of 4 years old. He brought me a drawing paper with a tic tac toe grid on it and asked me to play. We went through several games while we had a pleasant chat about this and that. Amy and Gareth’s daughter Winter was a bit shy but enjoyed playing with toys that were new to her in the center of the floor. Hannah and husband Lewis have one daughter, Thea who was just 3 months old. Both parents were very generous and allowed us to hold her. She liked cuddling and had bright smiles for anyone who smiled at her.

Too soon everyone had to be on their way. It was a fun family party.

Amy and Winter

Hannah and Lewis

Saturday, May 20, 2023

We woke up to another beautiful day. The skies were bright and sunny and the temperatures hovered near 70 degrees. Our destination for today was the village of Olney but we took a meandering route to see charming sights along the way. We stopped at Abbey Castle Gardens on the way for a coffee.

Sue in Cowper Garden

We went to the Cowper Museum and Gardens for our first garden tour. John Cowper was a writer and composer. He had a good friend who was involved in the slave trade though he was very anti-slavery himself. He spent many hours talking to his friend to convince him to give up his interests in slave ships and denounce the practice of slavery. Eventually his friend was convinced and he saw the evil of slavery. Cowper wrote the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” in honor of his decision. The garden at the house was very beautiful. It was secluded behind brick walls which shut out all sounds of the village. Paths led from one area to another and the whole effect was very peaceful.

Cowper Garden

When we came out, Judy and I wandered down a narrow walkway to a small area of shops. I ended up buying some sunglasses and a stylish top.

We passed through beautiful countryside along narrow roads to the home of Butch’s cousin Claire and her husband Richard. Claire had prepared a delicious lunch for us. We sat around the table chatting for some time. Richard told stories of his life working for oil companies and we admired his pastels. He is a self taught artist and has created many pieces that show his talents.

On the way home we continued meandering on winding roads between hedges blooming with Hawthorne and other flowers.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Trish, Simon, and Sue surprised Judy with a banner and balloons in honor of her birthday. Trish even baked a special cake for her. We celebrated with our usual breakfast before taking off. Today, the plan was to see Martin and Gunilla Green. We left the house at about 10:00 and decided to drive through Olney on our way to Peterborough. As we made our way through the town we noticed that a craft/antique market was set up in the place that was a car park a few days before. We decided to browse through if we could find a place to park. Of course, Sue found a place and we had a fun browse. Judy and I each bought some greeting cards with paintings by a local artist.

Judy’s Birthday Cake

We next drove to Oundle. We had planned to walk through the town to see the school and the church. It turned out there was an open garden tour which had we known we would have attended. Even though we didn’t buy tickets, we peeked into gardens as we passed doorways and gates. The town had decorated some of the post boxes in honor of the coronation of King Charles III. This one was a hand knitted royal carriage with horses. After a refreshing coffee we strolled up to St. Peter’s church, back to the car and on our way.

Now we drove straight to meet Martin and Gunilla at the Bell at Stilton for lunch. I had never met Gunilla, of course, because the last time I was in England was over 50 years ago. We all had a delicious full English lunch and enjoyed more than an hour of lovely conversation. It was nice to have a chance to get to know them both better. Martin had been a young teen when I last saw him. After lunch Martin volunteered to drive us around Peterborough where Butch’s grandparents lived and where his aunts and uncles grew up. Of course none of the places had any special meaning to me but I had long heard stories of these special homes from my mother in law and from Butch.
We drove by streets such as Lincoln Road, Swale Avenue, and Scotney Street and it was nice listening to the cousins reminisce. Martin wended his way through the twisty streets and found each place.

Gunilla and Martin

Martin recommended a small village to visit on the way back to Trish’s house. All the houses were built about the same time from the same local stone and all were beautifully thatched. The place was very picturesque and really gave a feeling of days gone by.

Thatched Cottage

Monday, May 22, 2023

Today we packed up to leave from Trish and Simon’s house. Their hospitality was wonderful. We had a lot of fun talking, eating delicious foods and playing games. As soon as we finished breakfast we loaded the car and were off pretty much on schedule. Our destination for the day was Kew Gardens. The trip was thankfully uneventful and we arrived at the recommended parking lot just as the gates were opened.
We looked at the map and made a rough plan for our route to take. Trish was the only one of us who had ever visited so it was all new.

Allium on the Great Broad

We started by walking down the Great Broad admiring all of the borders and trying to identify familiar plants. Many were already in bloom while some only had buds. We were headed toward The Hive. It was designed by an artist and was meant to be a multi-sensory experience revealing the secret life of bees. The sculpture is made from many pieces of metal and is studded with over 1,000 LED lights. When you go inside there is a very calming orchestral hum in the key of C. It is programmed to pulse to mimic the vibrations bees make when they communicate with each other. This feature was one of my favorites.

The Hive

Wisteria Pergola

Pagoda Tree

We then made our way to the Princess of Wales Conservatory. It features different ecosystems from around the globe with the plants that live together in each area. It was overall very warm inside and felt good since the morning was a bit chilly. The garden is 350 years old. There are many ancient trees and plants that have grown to enormous sizes over the years. The pagoda tree was planted in 1760 and used to stand over 15 meters tall. Today, only the lowest branch survives and is supported by a brick tower and metal poles placed in strategic places We also saw an old wisteria vine that was supported with an iron structure that turned the whole plant into a gazebo. Every turn in the path opened up new vistas both landscaped and wild.

View Across the Lake and the Botanical Brasserie

We needed a rest so stopped to have a coffee in the Botanical Brasserie. It was so pretty we decided to order starters for lunch. We took the path across the lake to the Temperate House.

Then on to the Treetop Walkway. I was really looking forward to that but it turned out to be a little uncomfortable because it is built to sway and flex. The views from the treetops were beautiful and we were glad that there was an elevator to go to the top and down again.

Treetop Walkway

By this point I was almost walked out but as we headed back to our parking lot we got to see the Camellia Walk and many beautiful trees. We were tired but very happy with the day. When I got home I looked at the map of the gardens that they gave us. According to the map scale, we probably walked well over 5 miles across the course of the day.

Kew Garden is in Richmond which is on the edge of London. Still, navigating through the traffic, construction zones, pedestrians, etc made Sue’s drive out of town a bit tricky. At some point we found ourselves at the entrance to Richmond Park so she detoured through it to show us another interesting sight. I was surprised to see large herds of deer so near the middle of London.

We drove to Sue’s house in Maidstone. She bought Rowanmore from her parents and it is the same house I visited 50 years ago but I actually couldn’t remember much about it. After all of the walking we did, I was glad to turn in for the night shortly after dinner.

Rowanmore

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Sue has been so welcoming and hospitable and has planned our time to take advantage of every opportunity for fun. On Tuesdays she takes her elderly neighbor, Don, to do his shopping and run small errands. So after breakfast we went to Tesco’s to experience UK grocery shopping. Judy buys shopping bags with nice pictures on them to take to friends as gifts; and we had promised a bit of chocolate to family members so off we went. We also had a chance to stop at the post office where I got two Charles III 50p coins for Butch.

We had time for one outing before we left for Jersey. Sue drove us to Rochester Cathedral to see the Jubilee Table inside the sanctuary. A farmer in the fens had found a very large black oak tree trunk that had been perfectly preserved in a bog for thousands of years. The wood gave scientists information about the great trees and forests of the time. Since it was found in the queen’s jubilee year they decided to make something grand that could be used by ordinary people for many years to come. An artist was commissioned for the design and artisans came together to produce a stunning table. It is 43 feet long and has special hinges on the side that allows the width to be narrowed to transport and fit such a magnificent piece into spaces around the country.

They believe that the acorn the tree grew from sprouted in 3500BC. It grew to a height of over 55 meters. These ancient Black Oaks grew much taller that our oaks of today which reach an average height of 20 meters. The tree probably was over 200 years old when it fell into the bogs of the Fen and was perfectly preserved for 100’s of years. The display in the church detailed the history of the wood and the process of making this beautiful table.

Jubilee Table

In the afternoon we drove to Gatwick for our flight to Jersey. Butch’s cousin Michael met us at the airport and gave us a quick trip to the seaside to welcome us. We then went to meet Sasha in their beautiful barn conversion home. We had a yummy dinner of Halloumi cheese with tomatoes and mint accompanied by mango, peppers, cilantro, and pomegranate seeds. We spent time talking and getting to know each other.

Michael and Sasha

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Jersey is an interesting place. It is a British property but is the largest of the group of Channel Islands and is actually closer to the coast of France. People who are born on Jersey have rights to live and work here and own property on the island. Outsiders must prove they have 30 million pounds of wealth and enough money to pay 250,000 pounds in taxes per year! You can live here for 10 years to be considered a resident and then eligible buy property.

Michael had planned a trip around the East side of the island for us. Though Sue had been to Jersey many times, she had never had a guided tour before so some of the information was new to her too. We started by visiting Bonne Nuit which was a place where many small boats were moored. It provided beautiful views of the hills on the island and of course across the water. In the corner of the jetty was a German bunker left over from the occupation. There were many other bunkers and buildings of that time across the island.

The roads on Jersey are very narrow and twisty and there was no way for me to figure out where we were as we drove. Judy loves maps and was able to follow along pretty well. I just enjoyed the pretty flowers, handsome houses, and beautiful scenery. The hedges were all in bloom and everywhere is honoring “No-Mow May” to protect the insects that are starting to nest at this time of year. I saw one small flower in the hedges that I asked Sasha about later.

She identified them as bellybutton flowers which is such a delightful name that I had to include it.

Sasha is a talented artist who creates her art in ceramic pots, painting, glass, and woodworking. She was commissioned to make two doors in St. Lawrence church in honor of a man’s wife who had passed away. The doors featured beautiful woodworking and stained glass with a rose motif. As we explored the grounds we found a willow tunnel at the edge of the gardens. It was magical to be inside with the living plants all around.

We arrived at the Museum of Life in the Country. It was a wonderful way to see a progression of the history of life on the island. The first building showed the cider house which reminded me of Normandy. The house of the 1940’s showed what life would have been like for country people during the occupation. In the 1600’s house there was a woman playing the part of the housekeeper who showed us some of the medicinal plants they would have used for common ailments of the time.

We had lunch at the Crab Shack overlooking a sandy beach. Michael suggested oysters but unfortunately none of us were very keen on that delicacy so we shared appetizers of crab poutine which was crispy chips (French fries) with a topping of crab and spicy mayonnaise on top. I had some poutine before when we were in Quebec City with Judy and Bill and found it to be kind of nasty so this poutine was a nice surprise.

Along our route was the Chapel of St. Marie. One of Sasha’s friends had been commissioned to restore the very old paintings in the Fishermen’s Chapel which was next door and separate from the main sanctuary. It turns out that the fishermen who attended services were very smelly because of their work so had their own chapel to keep them away from other worshipers. It was also referred to as the “stinky chapel.”

The White House

We returned to the coastal roads and visited The White House which is a very old cottage perched on a cliff above the sea. It has been completely covered in white wash and is used as a venue for weddings and other celebrations. It is a landmark on the island and was also where Michael and Sasha’s daughter, Eva, was married. Nearby was the orchid field where thousands of tiny orchids unique to Jersey grow wild. It is set aside as a walking path so anyone can visit.
I had mentioned to Michael that Butch and I had visited Neolithic sites in the Netherlands so he took us to the Les Monts Grantez Neolithic passage grave which was accessed by walking across a farmer’s field with a herd of sheep inside. This city girl was a little intimidated by the rams who had sharp horns but we were assured they wouldn’t bother us, which turned out to be true. The grave was behind a circular stone wall built to protect it from the animals and had a stone style to climb over it. The steps were pretty tall but with a little gentlemanly help we all made it inside.

Sheep with the Pointy Horns

Les Monts Grantez neolithic passage grave

Our final stop of the day was Grans Nez, meaning big nose, castle which refers to the shape of the land where it was built. This was a high cliff above the sea. It was very different from the beaches we had seen along the other side. This was a wild place with crashing waves and on this clear day, views that went clear to Normandy.

Grans Nez Castle

That night Michael and Sasha’s children and grandchildren came for a family dinner. We enjoyed good food and meeting everyone. We even had musical entertainment from Savanna, Eva and Warwick’s daughter.

Zosia and Eva

Michael and Savanna

Oliver

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Today was the day for a tour on the west side of Jersey. We took a new path around the island and stopped at two places along the coast. The views of course were spectacular and different than the ones yesterday. There was one spot where fishermen had turned a deep German bunker into a large place to store and sell fish and sea food. Nazi’s had used it as a safe hospital for their wounded and today’s fishermen use it as a cool location to store and market their sea catch.

German Bunker/Fish Market

We then headed to our destination of La Hougue Bie. It is a site that has been a spiritual center for 6,000 years. It has a large and we’ll preserved Neolithic passage grave that is one of the best in Europe. The entrance was very low and had to be entered at a crouch. The crouch had to be held at that level for ten meters. At that point the tomb opened up so you could stand and look around. I had my doubts about whether I could get inside because walking in a crouch like that is not generally something I can do. But both Judy and I got in with only a few bumps on the head and without disgracing ourselves completely. We made sure Michael did not have to walk behind us as we went.

Passage Grave under the Hill

The site is also known for a very large Celtic hoard that was discovered there. The museum had short films about how it was discovered, how it was processed by archeologists, the importance of the find, and the significance of the artifacts. The artifacts included gold jewelry and coins that were on display. One interesting thing we learned was that scientists left a vertical chunk of the hoard intact so that if there were new tools or technologies in the future, there would be an opportunity to study the hoard as it was found.

Gold Treasure

Hoard of Coins

There was also a long house re-creation built on the grounds that has been furnished with copied artifacts to show the technologies of the Neolithic people who might have lived there. There were two very good guides stationed there who were very informative. The man had actually helped build the longhouse with a team of local volunteers guided by archeologists who visited the site once a week to give them the plans for the next week. They have not found any evidence of a longhouse on the site but have found a set of post holes on a nearby housing building site that may show that such a thing was near there.

Long House Recreation

Michael was a superb travel guide for us. We packed in so much in the short time we were on this beautiful island. It is full of history and he was so knowledgeable about the land and the 6,000 year span of time that we explored. His last duty was to get us to the airport on time to return to Sue’s house in Maidstone.

Guide

Friday, May 26, 2023

Last night we packed a small bag with a change of clothes for our trip to Haywood Heath to meet Sue’s friend Lynne. We planned to attend The Charleston Festival. It is put on in the grounds of Charleston House home of Vanessa Bell, sister to author Virginia Wolfe. It was a house frequented by artists, authors, and intellectuals who had become friends at university in the early 1900’s. They became loosely known as the Bloomsbury Group and were known as bohemians and free thinkers. Almost as soon as I walked into the house I realized that I had read a book called Vanessa and Her Sister years ago that told the story of the Bloomsbury Group and their home. They were notorious for their affairs and unusual relationships. The walls and furniture in the house have been painted everywhere with beautiful designs and figures. It was fun to see something new in every nook and cranny and behind every door. The soft furniture has been upholstered in fabrics designed by various members of the group. We took a tour of the house first before the lectures began. Both Judy and I loved the paintings, the fabrics and the general look of the home.

Our guide with the decorative door and wall

Charleston House

The festival is held on the grounds and runs for a week. Each day there is a series of lectures on all sorts of topics. We saw three lectures: First, Dreams of America. Authors Sarah Churchill and Bonnie Green consider the myth of America against the reality of current U.S. politics. Second, Art is Magic: Artist Jeremy Deller discusses various art performances including one set on the 100th anniversary of the battle of the Somme. He coordinated thousands of local actors dressed as WWI soldiers who emerged from trains all over the UK at the same time. The actors handed out cards to citizens with the name of a soldier killed in the Somme and were asked to take on the part of a soldier of the time. Third, Toy Fights: Poet Don Paterson discussed his new memoir of his boyhood in Dundee and how he survived it and made it to his adult life.

Sue’s friend Lynne provided us with a really elegant picnic in between sessions. She made salmon mouse terrine, couscous salad, pea greens salad, and cheesecake for dessert. She brought a lace tablecloth and china to set the table. We were the envy of others who had a much more mundane picnic. Everything was delicious besides!

That night Judy and I stayed in a hotel and Sue stayed with Lynne. Unfortunately, we ended the day earlier than planned because I had caught Judy’s nasty cold and was feeling pretty done in by the end of the day. We checked into our room and went straight to bed with me armed with cold medicine.

Saturday, May 27, 2023

I woke up feeling better. A good night’s sleep and the cold medicine did the trick along with a nice long hot shower. Sue and Lynne picked us up in the morning and we went for breakfast together. We ended up eating in a Morrison’s grocery store cafe which was very nice. Judy chose the full English Breakfast and I had the vegetarian egg breakfast. Both of us were very satisfied. When we finished eating, we looked around the grocery store and bought a few things to take home.

Lynne and Sue with their beautiful scarves

That day we visited Holford Manor which is known for its many varieties of iris in the Chailey garden. Today was an open garden day. They opened this usually private space for a charity that serves extremely mentally challenged adults for care and support from age 18 for the remainder of their lives. The entrance fees collected go directly to their care. The garden is in the grounds of an old manor estate which has been divided up into private homes. They had huge iris gardens and sold live plants, metal garden decorations, and had drinks and cake available to buy.

Irises

When we finished our tour we returned Lynne to her home. She lives in an apartment block converted from a large old mental institution. She tells everyone she lives in the loony bin. We spent some time looking at the beautiful grounds there. Then it was back in the car to Maidstone.

I had taken cold medicine and fell asleep in the car on the way home so Sue suggested I take a nap before dinner. She and Judy went to visit her mother, Auntie Edith. I didn’t want to go for fear of exposing her to my cold so it worked out for the best. When I woke up, I felt I could manage the Hamlet play we had planned to attend. It was an amateur production in Rochester and we loved it. The actor who played Hamlet was very good. I had cough lozenges and water and managed well.

Hamlet

When we got home we all sat up chatting until after midnight which was fun.

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Scotney Castle

Judy and Karen

Scotney Castle is a very large estate. The day we went was part of the Bank Holiday weekend and a half term vacation for school children. Needless to say, the place was filled with families of all sizes. The day was warm and sunny and perfect for enjoying the grounds and the castle. The actual castle on the property was an old original building that was ruined or partially demolished on the advice of the architect who was designing a large lavish manor house. Ruins were all the rage at the time and as they dismantled the castle, they salvaged the best bits for the new house. Some pieces like fancy fireplaces were moved to the new location. This was one of the grandest houses we visited. The owners were very rich and had many collections of interesting things on display. In some ways that made it hard to imagine what it must have looked like when it was actually a home.

The grounds are extensive and very pretty. We walked around the small lake and viewed the castle ruins through flowers, trees, and picturesque bridges and paths.

Lucy Willmott

Sue’s daughter Lucy came with us. She is fun to be with and added to our visit. We had decided to add a traditional pub lunch to our day so when we were worn out from walking we went to The Vineyard pub for lunch. Lucy scheduled a reservation for us and it was good that she did because they were very busy. We ordered appetizers which were exceptionally good then each of us ordered one of their specialties. I got the chicken which was a very generous size. I thought it was ok but I think the others liked their lunch a lot more.

That evening we played cards and Rummikub. Both Lucy and Sue are very good at this game and outplayed both Judy and me. In spite of our dismal showing we laughed together and had a great time. There may have been some wine involved as well.

Monday, May 29, 2023

Sue has a National Trust membership which entitles her to visit all National Trust properties at no additional cost. She also found a 2 for 1 offer that she got when she invited Judy and me to visit. We used it at Kew at the beginning of the vacation which allowed a savings that really made it pay off. Stoneacre, which is very close to Sue’s house is a National Trust property so we could use it for admission. We have visited many houses and gardens and each has had a unique character that made it special. We have to give Sue all the credit for choosing such wonderful sites.

Stoneacre House

This house was very old and was not overly filled with furniture. It had a history that began in the 1400’s and it continued as a residence on and off into the 1800’s. The final owner refurbished and restored it to it’s earliest history. The minimal furnishings added to the cozy ancient atmosphere and we all felt that it would be a house where we could see ourselves living a comfortable family life.

Bee in the thistles

The garden was small and also personal in its way. It is maintained beautifully and was buzzing with bees. The Trust is very committed to having insect friendly gardens and the garden flowers and wild flowers were doing their work to attract them.

Nichola and Lewis

In the afternoon, Sue’s grandchildren were scheduled for a visit. Monte and Lewis belong to Sue’s son James and his wife Nichola. James works on a large luxury sailing ship and is away for 2 months then home for 2 months. He is currently away. I did not think I was in any shape to be around young children so decided to take a nap while they visited. The oldest boy, Monte, is shy with strangers but in the end warmed up to Judy and drew pictures with her. I heard their excited good-byes as I was waking up so I think the visit was a success.

Lucy and Lewis

Monte and Sue

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Trish came today to spend one of our last days with us. She made the drive from her house in the early morning. She could also visit her mom while she was in town. One of the things one must do when visiting here is have some fish and chips. We had not gone out to eat much because Sue, Lucy, and Trish are excellent cooks who have fed us well. But it was time to sample the National dish so we headed toward the sea. The trip was made on picturesque back roads that wind through the country side. Our first stop was Faversham where we stopped at South Quay to look around. It was right by the tidal river so there were lots of boats. We wandered through a kind of junk shop/ antique store that had all sorts of interesting things. Trish bought a set of small bowls and I found a present for my sister in law, Lisa.

Sue then drove through Whitstable. It is a very touristy place but has loads of interesting old store fronts and seaside homes. There are rows of brightly painted bathing huts along the beach. Families use them to change for swimming or as a place to sit and enjoy the view of the sea. Our lunch destination was in Tankerton and was a fish and chip shop called Ossie’s. It was a cool and windy day so we ate inside. It was packed with tables and was a very busy spot. We all ordered the Senior Citizen’s fish and chip dinner which was one pound cheaper and supposedly smaller. It was a very generous portion though, and really good.

Trish and Karen enjoying their “Senior” lunch

Fish and Chips with mash (peas)

Sue wanted to pack another great house into the day. She took us to Belmont Estate. It was featured on a recent episode of British Antiques Roadshow. The house belonged to the Ellis family who were Earls. The family members had been instrumental in the colonization of India and their wealth was enhanced by confiscated treasures and prize money acquired over several generations. It is one of the few houses in the trust that has such a large family endowment that they do not need to rely on admission fees to maintain the property.

Belmont House

The house was a good size and has been well cared for. It is arranged as it would have been in the mid 1800’s. It has extensive property of 3,000 acres surrounding it. All of us really liked it and the furnishings were beautiful and looked as if it had been a comfortable home. These folks were clearly very rich!

Straw animals scattered across the grounds

When we got home to Sue’s house Judy and I had to face the prospect of packing up our various purchases for going home. We were worried that our small suitcases would never have enough room but with lots of squeezing we got everything to fit. We even had some time to fit in a little rest while Sue finished up dinner.

I was feeling much better and after dinner we had another lovely night of cards. There was also wine to enjoy and I was the big winner in Judy’s card game which never happens!

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

On the last day of our English vacation we had one more exquisite home planned. We were going to Standen. The owners of the estate were wealthy and had taken an interest in a young artist, William Morris. Morris was just developing his unique design style and the Standens decided to build a country home and to decorate it using wallpapers and textiles, created by Morris and other artists who were creating objects in the same style.

Standen House

The home was built to be very modern with electric lighting, modern plumbing and other innovative inventions. Some rooms had four or five intricate patterns included. The combinations looked spectacular. The lady of the house was an expert in needlework and she along with her daughters ordered plain fabrics pre-printed with original Morris designs to embroider. The sitting room included two curtains hanging at each end of a sofa to create a cozy space within the room. The volunteer interpreter in the room said the curtains took Lady Ellis and her daughters over two years to complete. As we were walking through the kitchen we saw some workers cleaning the items on display. They had small vacuum cleaners worn like backpacks with fine cloth covering the nozzle of the hose. They were cleaning fake eggs, breads, and cakes to keep them looking nice.

Hand embroidered curtains and other Morris fabrics

Embroidered bedspread

Specialize cleaning artifacts

We had planned to view this house last because it was near Gatwick where we would catch our flight. As it turned out, we ran into a traffic jam as we were getting near the airport. The snarl was the result of a rail strike. Since people could not travel to the airport by train there were more cars and buses in the lanes waiting to drop off passengers. We planned to check our bags through to Boston so we had to get in line. After a while they brought passengers going to JFK to the front of the line so we made our flight after all. We were disappointed that our seats were not together. I was in the middle section in an aisle seat while Judy had a window seat on the side. The lady beside her was very old and frail and had trouble getting out of her seat so Judy was kind of stuck there.

The whole way to NY, Judy was getting notices about our flight to Boston that was supposed to leave at 7:30 pm. When she looked at her boarding pass she noticed it had a departure of 9:59pm. When we got to NY we had to get our bags again, go through customs, then go through security again. Many of the people in security were particularly harsh and rude with lots of yelling and conflicting directions. We were already exhausted and still had to find out the correct time for our flight. After talking with several snappish employees we found that the flight was indeed leaving at 10:00 and would arrive in Boston at 11:30. Judy’s friends would pick us up and we would stay there overnight. We felt like zombies as we drove to their home and gratefully fell into bed.

The next morning we got the gizmo we needed to transfer the pictures from our trip from Judy’s phone so that I could take them home to Butch. When that was all finished we decided to go to the airport early. Judy planned take a bus from Logan Airport to Auburn and she could catch an earlier one. I didn’t mind going early and reading in the airport before my flight. I ended up getting a nice hummus plate for lunch and relaxed before my flight home.
From Boston, Chicago was a breeze and I gratefully landed in Cedar Rapids. It was good to be home. It was a fabulous trip!