My day with Fletch

On Friday, Andrew and Christine went into London, so Fletch and I had the day to ourselves. I decided that we should take a trip to Glastonbury ... its only 40 miles away and the Glastonbury Abbey is supposed to be beautiful, plus its surrounded by a huge garden and dogs are allowed to walk through, as well as humans :) I also wanted to visit Glastonbury Tor which is a large hill on the edge of town; at the top is St. Michael's Tower which is the only remain of a 15th century church. Also, it is reputed to be King Arthurs' birthplace.

According to legend, King Arthur and his wife Guinevere are buried in the Abbey garden. Sometime during the Middle Ages a group of monks excavated the spot where they supposed the graves to be, and once they dug down seven feet they found a foot long lead cross that said (in latin), "Hic iacet sepultus inclitus rex arturius in insula avalonia", "Here lies buried the renowned King Arthur in the Isle of Avalon". Some smaller bones and long hair were found adjacent to the main grave, and these were assumed to belong to Guinevere. As a side note, the Isle of Avalon is the name used for Glastonbury in legend and other mythical stories because it was "where the sea met the land", back when the Bristol Channel covered more of England than it does now. A small plaque marks the spot that was excavated.





The other legend about Glastonbury Abbey is that after the Crucifixion of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain carrying the Holy Grail (the chalice that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper). For safekeeping, Joseph is said to have buried the chalice in the ground just below Glastonbury Tor at the entrance to the Underworld. Years later, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table would make it their mission to find this Holy Grail.


So, enough about legend and myth ... on about our day! We left at noon, and I was mistaken in believing that it would take no time to get there - there was so much traffic on the highway (one lane) that we didn't get there until 2:00! Needless to say, Fletch was dying to get out of the car and finally go for the walk we had talked about. So, we made our way through the town to the Abbey. Once we were in we took the long route and walked around the entire garden including the duck pond (Fletch scared all the ducks away), and the fish pond (Fletch wanted to go in). We checked out the remains of the Abbey and also the site of King Arthur's supposed burial. I took several pictures, including some with the timer so that Fletch and I could both be in them!




One thing I didn't consider before travelling with Fletch for the day was what I was planning to do when I had to use the bathroom. This became a bit of an issue toward the end of our walk becuase I really had to go!! So, I found the bathrooms, which were a separate outdoor building, so that was good. I tied Fletch to a post and went in; now, I have to explain that the main door of the bathroom was propped open, and the distance between Fletch and my 'stall' was about 6 feet maximum! However, the minute I closed the door he started whining and crying and pretty much freaking out! I had to talk to him through the stall door to calm him down! Thankfully, no one else was around :) I've posted a picture of him standing outside, I was standing in the entrance to the stall, so you can see how close I was! What a mommy's boy :)


Anyway, after the bathroom incident, I decided that Fletch had had enough and it was probably better to just head home. Thinking I was smart, I decided to take an alternate route home so that it would be faster ... it wasn't! It still took us two hours to get home, but at least Fletch was more relaxed and was laying down most of the time. So, it was a fun day ... a little hard trying to walk around while carrying a camera, purse, pamphlet/map for the site, and bag of 'dog waste' AND walk a 100 lb. dog ... but the quality time together is what really mattered ;)



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A Canterbury Tale

On Wednesday Andrew, Christine and I went to Canterbury, which is in Southeast England. It is, as you probably know, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury; also Thomas Beckett was murdered in the Cathedral at Canterbury during his time as Archbishop from 1162-1170. 'The Canterbury Tales' were written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century about a group of pilgrims who came to Canterbury to visit the grave of Thomas Beckett. The town is beautiful and full of neat shops and historic attractions. Of note is the 'Canterbury Tales' visitor attraction: it is set up as a recreation of medieval England and welcomes the 'pilgrims' who came to see the grave of Thomas Beckett as told in the famous work by Chaucer ... it attempts to depict the sights, sounds and yes, smells of Canterbury during that period. I have to say that they did a pretty good job depicting all three of those ... it was a really fun way to visualize the period and the story. There is a pub where pilgrims are invited to warm themselves by the fire and have a pint upon their arrival to town ... the tavern is complete with drunk men passed out around the firepit (wax figures) ... then as morning dawns the narrator invites you to walk through the main street in town where you see the boot maker, some beggars and a water fountain ... there are a few more stops along the way and you finally end up in the market surrounded by people selling their wares ... oh, and the tooth extractor is also there with his latest victim. Then, finally you are taken through the chapel and back outside. Though it may have been a little cheesy, I still thought it was worth the money. I did try to take some pics of the wax figures etc. but because it was so dark it was hard to get enough light for a good shot ... I've posted the best ones on here.




We also visited the Canterbury Catheral, which was beautiful and so enourmous! It was so big that I could only photograph it in sections! And, just to see how big it really was, there is a picture of me beside it and, regardless of the fact that I am petite, I look like a peanut next to the Cathedral!







We planned to visit one more site before leaving Canterbury, but in our search for somewhere to have high tea, we realized that we were tired and ready to go home. The best part about the day was that it was sunny and WARM! Its not been a very warm summer here in England, which according to locals is unusual, so it was nice to have a beautiful summer day outside.

I will post again soon about my day with Fletch in Glastonbury. Oh, and to update you, Peter comes home tomorrow (I can't wait!) after having been gone a week to Maryland ... so we have some stuff planned over the weekend before Andrew and Christine leave on Monday. Tomorrow we are going to Legoland!

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A Visit to Dover

Yesterday, Andrew, Christine, Peter & I went to Dover to see the White Cliffs as well as Dover Castle. We soon discovered that there is really not much more to see in Dover! Its kind of a dive actually ... but the Castle was well worth the 2 hr. drive. So, as usual, I'll give you a short history lesson on the castle: It was originally established as an Anglo-Saxon fort because of its close proximity to the ocean and adjacent France. During the Napoleonic Wars tunnels were dug deep inside the white chalk cliffs and used for military strategy; they were so useful that they were used right into the 20th century and during the Second World War. In May 1940 Vice Admiral Ramsey used the tunnel network to plan and implement Operation Dynamo, which served to rescue trapped British & Allied forces from Dunkirk in France. Today you can tour a very small section of the Secret Wartime tunnels, which we did. It was really extensive and very intriguing - we were disappointed however, in our guides' lack of exuberance in the subject matter and the fact that we felt rushed to get through. Regardless we did see the room/artefacts in the Telephone Exchange Room as well as the Command Centre where Winston Churchill viewed the Battle of Britian. Regrettably, we weren't allowed to take pictures down there ... maybe the tunnels are still a secret ??? ; )





In 1539 Henry VIII visited Dover Castle as part of an inspection of the coastal defence systems. There is an exhibit that offers a tableau of the preparations for his visit including his bedroom, where he ate, where visitors would have waited to greet him etc. From that part of the castle we went up to the roof and took some great pics of the Dover Channel and the surrounding countryside.

On site is also the most complete Saxon church in Kent, which was used by troops stationed there for several hundred years. Inside the church you can see the ancient 'sedilia', that is a stone seat carved out of the stone wall used by the Priest. Also, in some of the stones you can see symbols and images engraved into the stone by the masons who built the church. Very cool. Next to the church is a Roman lighthouse which is said to be one of the best preserved Europe.





The day was windy, but warm and sunny so it was a great day to be walking outdoors - we had a really good time. When we came home Peter had to pack and get ready to head to the States this morning. He and his fellow fixed wing classmates were going to do some work there at the United States Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. He'll be back on Saturday and we're planning to head to Legoland with Andrew & Christine. Meanwhile, I'll be accompanying them on some day trips this week so there will be more posts to follow : )



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Guess where we're going?

We booked our August vacation tonight - we've decided to take a Cruise! We've never been on one before, so it took a lot of research to make sure that we weren't getting ripped off etc. Anyway, we finally found one that we liked so we fly from Gatwick airport on Aug. 9 to Heraklion on Crete in Greece. From there we travel to Dubrovnik in Crotia and then on to Corfu, Cephalonia, Olympia and Athens - all in Greece. We are really looking forward to it and Peter especially needs the rest and relaxation. As for me, I wasn't too keen on spending a week in 40+ degrees, but since we haven't yet had much of a summer here in Amesbury, I think I can handle it for 7 days. We're hoping to be approved for our househunting trip for the week following the cruise, but if not we will probably take some small trips to Scotland and Ireland. There are some pretty cheap flights available from London or Southampton to both places ... so we'll see, and as always, we'll keep you posted!

Team PM

p.s. i added a picture of the cruise ship, since a post without pics just seems boring!

Gliding at Upavon

Last night Peter and I went gliding - he had gone already on Monday night and Wednesday night was family night. There weren't very many people there so I was able to go up twice - it was lots of fun! The first time was a bit breathtaking ... because there is only a 100 ft. runway the glider has a really steep ascent to get to the desired elevation .... so it was a bit scary and fast at first, and then as soon as the winch gets dropped the glider levels off and you glide. It was really scenic and I could see the windy River Avon for miles! I landed, and then immediately went up the second time.




Peter went after I did and his pilot asked him how he felt about acrobatics! He of course said he was fine with it and off they went into about 4 loops!! Apparently they pulled 4 G on one of the loops which is quite impressive considering there is no engine and its powered by just wind. Anyway, everyone on the ground was gasping as we wathced Peter's glider looping around all over the place, and then taking a crazy turn to come in for the landing ... glad I didn't have that pilot!

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Our afternoon at Buckingham Palace!

Yesterday Peter & I went into London to meet up with our friends, Dave & Kristy, to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace!! It was a day that none of us will ever forget, and it was so much fun to share with them! On a side note, we became friends with them while living in Barrie when Peter was on the AERE course at Borden. So .. we met up with them and went to their hotel to change into our fancy clothes, Kristy & I into hats and dresses, and the boys into their CF dress uniforms. From there we got into a cab and drove the 3 minutes up to Buckingham Palace (it cost 12 GBP for the cab I might add!!! ). We had been advised to enter through the Grand Entrance because you get a peak at the inner courtyard, as well as a bit of the interior of the Palace itself. So, that's what we did; as we were walking in through the gate it was lined with tons of tourists watching and taking pictures - we felt like celebrities! We then passed through a hallway that was lined with guards of some sort who were wearing really ornate red uniforms and had gold canes, or sceptre like things in their hands - very fancy schmancy - I think we were already impressed at that point. Into the gardens we went, with plenty of time to walk around much of the main part of the garden. We felt very priveleged since the gardens are never open to the public, so its not something that many people get to see. We had been told that the Royal family would enter at 4:00 and 'God Save the Queen' would be played. So, once we heard the music we stopped and tried to get a good view of the steps where they would be entering the garden. At this point we were in the midst of the very large crowd, but managed to be standing in the front so we knew we would get a good view when the Queen came down our way. The courtiers organized the crowd so that there was one large main aisle, and then two smaller ones. The members of the royal family each walk down one of these aisles, and depending on where your standing you can get a good view of everyone - we were in the best possible spot! Though we were not chosen out of the crowd to speak to the Queen, the boys certainly got a lot of attention in their Canadian uniforms - alot of people asked them about why they were in England. This included several of the courtiers, one of whom we chatted with for quite awhile, and we thought he would choose us to greet the Queen, but he didn't ... oh well. Regardless, she walked right by us and smiled! Once she walked past us she made her way out of the crowd and over to the royal tea tent. Next we waited to see who would come out of the first smaller aisle ... we soon saw the Duke of Edinburgh - Prince Phillip, the Queen's hubby. Then, from the third aisle came the Duchess of Cornwall - Camilla, and she was followed by Prince Charles! It was very surreal, and very cool to see them in person, and close up too! We noticed that both Prince Phillip and Prince Charles were talking to anyone they saw in military uniforms, and though we had a good view to see them, they kind of turned the corner away from us as they came out of the smaller aisles and didn't notice Peter & Dave - we feel pretty confident that if they had seen the Canadian uniforms they would have been singled out for sure! There were only 2 other Canadian military members there that we saw, and we only saw them afterward, so the CF uniforms were rare. Also, Peter met a man who graduated from ETPS in 1976, so they were able to chat about the course and was nice to hear what he had to say about it. After this, we lined up for tea etc. and then relaxed in the garden until 6 pm when we had to leave. The Royal Family departed at 5:50 and the anthem was played again, but we couldn't really see them ... apparently Prince Edward and his wife Sophie were also there, but we never saw them.


Once we left we had our picture taken by a photographer outside the Palace, we weren't allowed to bring a camera in, and he will be mailing them to us so I'll post as soon as I can get it scanned. The pictures we do have we took in the hotel room before we left, so they are a bit dark and blurry, but you can see us all dressed up!

We headed back to the hotel, and then over to Piccadilly for some Thai food ... and some more time spent with Lily, Dave & Kristy's almost 1-yr old daughter - she is a cutie ... and with Dave and Kristy of course ; )



Tonight I'm off on another adventure - gliding! Peter went on Monday night, as part of his course, and tonight is family night - so wives, girlfriends, kids whoever can have a shot at it. I will be in a glider 2000 ft. in the air - it should be a blast, though I'm a bit nervous! I'll post about that experience soon.

Team PM

Summer Ball

Last night Peter & I went to the Summer Ball held at the Officers Mess at Boscombe Down. It was like nothing we'd ever been to before at a mess - it wasn't a formal dinner like all the other mess events that wives get invited to. Instead, it was a huge party open to all officers on base (about 500 people were there) themed "A Night at the Oscars" - the entire mess was transformed into different stations all with movie themes. There was things to do indoor and out, and if it wasn't for the fact that it was freezing cold outside, this would have been awesome - but it was still pretty good. When we arrived we walked up the "What a Wonderful Life" red carpet on "Sunset Blvd." - first time walking up a red carpet - kinda cool. We met up with some of Peter's friends from the course in the "Brokeback Mountain" room which had arcade games and a dance fusion game. After stopping for some drinks at "The Right Stuff" bottle bar, we went out to the appetizer tent, the "Titanic" fish bar. There we had crab shells stuffed with a crab meat pate, as well as lobster, shrimp and smoked salmon - it was really good. At 20:00 we sat down for a buffet dinner in the "As Good as it Gets" tent; for dinner there was a huge cold buffet with salads, fish, potatoes, cous-cous etc - TONS of food! During dinner we were entertained by a Wandering Magician who performed some tricks at our table - needless to say, we were all very impressed!

After dinner we wandered out to "The Killing Fields" laser clay shoot - that's what we're doing in the pics of us holding rifles. I was awful and only scored 3 out of a possible 20 pts., Peter scored 14 - he's at least handled a weapon before! It was also really cold outside and I was wearing a knee length halter dress and shivering the whole time - I think that affected my score ;)





It was then off to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" room to get our photograph taken in front of a huge movie themed backdrop ... then to "The Color of Money" casino to gamble away some fake money! Everyone was given vouchers for 20,000 GBP with their tickets to play roulette, poker or blackjack with - we ended up waiting in a queue so we left, only to come back after the casino had closed up shop for the night. There was also the "You Can't take it with You" chocolate fountain with a huge selection of fruit, marshmallows and candy to dip ... so yummy! We sat around in there for awhile, there was also a huge selection of coffees, after dinner mints and liqueurs. Around midnight we went outside to the "Chariots of Fire" Dodgems, otherwise known as Bumper Cars ... that was lots of fun, and then onto "Apollo 13" Skymaster rocket - the classic fair ride that starts out swinging you really slow and then goes faster and faster until your upsidedown - this was interesting to do in a dress! Peter spent most of the ride holding my dress down because I was too busy screaming and feeling that all the food I had eaten was about to come up! Before leaving we headed to "The Towering Inferno" outdoor bbq where there were ribs, burgers, hot dogs and big sausages. Peter had some ribs, I was still full from dinner ... It was quite the set up - they even had the bathrooms labeled - "Little Women" & "Goodfellas". All in all it was quite an impressive event and we understood why we had to pay 30 GBP each for a ticket! We had a lot of fun and we did finally leave around 2 am, drove some people home and then headed home to sleep!!


Today we went shopping in Salisbury - I needed to find a navy blue hat to go with my navy blue dress for the garden party on Tuesday. I suspect that my next post will be about that event!

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Alone again ...

Well, Tim & Marlene left on Tuesday and I am alone again ... its kinda nice to have the place to ourselves again after a solid month of guests, but I do miss having people here too. Its defintely more fun doing stuff with people than by myself ... but don't feel too sorry for me, I have some serious shopping to do today! Friday night is the Summer Ball at the Officers Mess so Peter will be all dressed in his mess kit (aka his fancy uniform), and I have a new dress to wear. But I need to get some accessories to go with it .. and some accessories to go with my other new dress that I will be wearing to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday! Peter and I are looking forward to that day alot - its a day off for him that we get to spend together in London, potentially seeing/meeting the Queen! And we get to visit with our friends Dave & Kristy who live north of London while he attends Cranfield University - they are our CF friends and are attending the same garden party.

All that being said .. on the last day that Tim & Marlene were here, we packed in a whole bunch of siteseeing, what else is new? We visited the World Heritage site of Avebury which is a samll town not far from here that is surrounded by prehistoric stone circles. Many of the stones are as large as those at Stonehenge; plus there were sheep everywhere and we walked through fields with the sheep. The only drawback was the sheep poo everywhere that got all over the bottoms of my jeans :( Oh, and it poured rain!








From there we continued on our drive to Old Wardour Castle - they hadn't yet seen it, even though it was my 3rd visit, but its still nice to see. On the way we stopped at a Pizza Hut for the lunch buffet which Tim had been craving all week ... I had to cut a guy off to get there, but it was well worth it! We changed our plans on the way to the castle and stopped at Stourhead (pronounced 'Starhead') to view the gardens, we didn't have time to see the house if we also wanted to see Old Wardour. We walked through the extensive garden which was created in the 1740's by the owner of the home, Henry Hoare II who was a wealthy banker. People started noticing that his garden was different than the current trends and thus became renowned as being at the forefront of the 18th century English landscape movement. This was because it didn't follow the perfectly manicured shapes and lines of the French inspired gardens that had become popular (think Versailles). Instead it was designed to be more of natural setting with wildflowers and pretty scenery. It included St Peter's church, the 'Pantheon' and 'Temple of Apollo', a Palladian bridge and a grotto .. and a small lake. Very impressive.







After the garden we headed to the Castle and took time to do the audio tour and take some pics ... then headed home. Peter was home earlier than expected so we were able to spend their last night all together and played a rousing game of 'Racko' ... it was lots of fun having them here and I'll miss them! And I'll miss not being around to watch Marlene's belly grow :)

The next visitors are Andrew & Christine who arrive later this month; hopefully the weather will improve some before then - Tim & Marlene defintely got the short end of the weather stick! I have lots of time to rest up this time before the next round of siteseeing begins!

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